The American born Singer/Actor Paul Austin Kelly’s musical style is a little bit Pop, a little bit Country, a little bit Jazz, and a little bit Rossini?
Actually, Yes! Paul excels at all of these styles, and the proof is in the pudding when he receives invitations regularly to sing for the world’s opera stages such as La Scala, Covent Garden and the Metropolitan Opera of New York as a "Bel Canto Specialist".
Most singers have never experienced the heights to which Paul has attained, and yet he maintains a level of humility.
He stands a little over 6 feet, 2 inches, with full red hair, completely unaware of his country singer good looks, possessing a soothing tenor voice quality that makes for warm feelings from adoring fans everywhere. His successes prove he doesn’t have to work hard as leading man although he has worked tirelessly at developing the skills necessary to sing in acoustic halls like the Metropolitan Opera and Carnegie Hall. He has worked with great conductor icons such as Riccardo Muti and Richard Bonynge.
"Tenors Florez as Peleus and Kelly as Harmony are outstanding!"
CD / ROSSINI: Cantatas--Cecilia Bartoli, mezzo / Juan Diego Flórez, ten / Paul Austin Kelly, ten / Riccardo Chailly, cond / La Scala Philharmonic Chorus & Orchestra / Amazon.com Editorial Reviews
But ask him where his heart is and he’ll tell you, “I’m a Rat Packer at heart”…in other words, all things Sinatra, Davis and Martin.
Paul channels his particular style of each one of these personalities into an act which features him singing the repertoire of Music Theater, Jazz and even playing trumpet (reminiscent of Sammy Davis Jr.), supported by his personal music director Kenny Clayton, where he resurfaces a genre similar to artists like Harry Connick Jr., Michael Buble and Josh Groban with his CD "The Song Is You".
Paul’s acting skills integrate with his interpretations so that he creates a bond with his audience. He has amassed fans in various countries including the United States, Italy, Ireland, Germany, Holland, France and of course his beloved United Kingdom.
"Kelly's Almaviva shifted crisply between the count and the student and music teacher aliases not just in manner, but in vocal quality. His "goat" rendition of the teacher Don Alonso was a splendid and appropriate exaggeration of the part that had the audience in stitches."
Almaviva: Il barbiere di Siviglia / Pittsburgh Opera
An enduring factor about him is that while touring, he conceived the idea to communicate to his young son Zack through 11 volumes of CDs he created while on the road through his record label Walking Oliver.
The songs are a wonderful musical expressions designed especially in the language of children to learn about Music, Opera, Poetry (Michael Rosen), and even Rap! Through these recordings, one can hear the delight of characterization in Paul’s performances. As one reviewer stated in regards to the ‘Rap’, CD…”It may not knock 50 cent off the charts, but it will make kids happy!”
"He [Kelly] is a talented musician who does some excellent arrangements of children's songs. Each song is entirely different, providing the listener with a wonderful variety of musical styles, and the total adds up to a great listening experience…"
Hello, Michael Rosen! / Paul Austin Kelly / The Audio Bookseller
And so in that statement lies the point, Paul revels in being able to bring joy to everyone, and has fun with whatever he’s singing or doing, whether with an international career in opera, singing the great songs of Sinatra, or simply enjoying his family and home in South London.
Wishing you and your family a great Christmas and New Year. I am busy with the final countdown to the launch of Radio Bracknell (www. radiobracknell. com) but looking forward to playing some of your tracks to a whole new audience.
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