Hawaiian in Waltz-time:

PORTRAIT RECITAL:  Kurhaus, Bad Schwalbach - 6 May 2006
Carl-Robert Helg, Piano

Wiesbadener Tagblatt:

"Star tenor sang his way into the hearts of his audience":

...The portrait premiere in the Kurhaus Theater exceeded the expectations of audience members first encountering the singer, and confirmed the highest opinions of those already familiar with his superb artistry.  ...

His very personal portrait recital was presented by Ikaia-Purdy in a

wide-range of styles and interpretations - rendered nevertheless uniform by his consistently beautiful tone and the excellence of his technique.

... The audience was enrapt from the concert's beginning on to its end - spanning 20 Italian and French arias and "canzone" - which Ikaia-Purdy performed with remarkable ease and overwhelming vocal- and interpretive strength, over-flowing with such personal warmth and naturalness, as can only result from an ideal balance of intellect and heart. ...

Even after 3 encores one didn't note any toll on the artist from the monumental program - for, as the appreciative moderator put it so succinctly: "those you know tenor literature, know the true measure of what Ikaia-Purdy has accomplished here today." Long after the concert was over fans stood cheering their approval.



"MET STARS IN CONCERT:" Rheingau Music Festival  - July 2005
with Y. Shin, sop. & J. Taylor, mezzosop., Korean Chamber Orch.

Frankfurt Neue Presse:

There was a truly colossal tenor to marvel at: Keith-Ikaia Purdy, a man from the island of Hawaii, whose voice filled the large basilica with arias of Tosti and Leoncavallo.


SCHILLER GALA: Ludwigsburg Festival, July 2005


Montrepos Presse:

(Among the soloists) Only the performance of tenor Keith Ikaia-Purdy rose to the standard of outstanding artistry in song.  In the finest bel canto manner, he finessed his way effortlessly through the aria of Arnold "Ne m´abondonne pas" from Gioacchino Rossini (TELL;) each tone rang out brilliantly, including the dreaded top notes of this showpiece role for Heldentenors -while at the same time, he playfully highlighted the embellishments.


REQUEM MASS - G. Verdi - Kloster Eberbach - 28 May 2006

Wiesbdener Kurier:                                    

... The very high expectations of the soloists (...) were more than justified; the elegance and joy with which the tenor Ikaia-Purdy fashioned the "Ingemisco" can be sited as representative of their uniformly excellent quality.


REQUIEM MASS - G. Verdi - Detmold 11 October 2004       

Lippische Landes-Zeitung :           

"Verdi on a large scale: Star of the Evening- tenor Keith Ikaia-Purdy"

...one must be frank: This tenor ... sang his colleagues into the shadows. With no apparent effort, he mastered the difficult role valiantly, filling the acoustically fine sports hall with a perfectly controlled, voluminous voice. Keith Ikaia-Purdy demonstrates the belief that beauty of sound and vocal line are far more important than volume for it own sake - this artistic credo was perceptible not only in each of the tenor's solo pieces, but as well in the restraint with which he insinuated himself into the solo quartet. Notably lovely: the "Hostias" from the "Offertorio" with Verdi's demand for "dolcissimo" - interpreted by Ikaia-Purdy with the sweetness of sugar.


French Opera Gala: Leipzig Gewandhaus  1 January 2004
MDR Symphony and Chorus, Fabio Luisi, conductor.

Leipzig Volkszeitung:

Keith Ikaia-Purdy has already shared his gift of bel canto with the rest of the world - and now at last, he has done so here <in Leipzig>; with no evident deficits: vocally as fleet-footed as Pavarotti in better days, gentle of voice but intensive -with never the slightest hint of throatiness or shouting. Great tenors are rare; Leipzig was able to experience one once again.


VERDI-WAGNER GALA: Wiesbaden Kurhaus  14 January 2004
St. Petersburg S.O. & Chor. Sue Patchell, sop., Eike Schulte, bar.

Weisbadener Tagblatt:

With a beaming, metallic tenor voice of seemingly inexhaustible strength, Keith Ikaia-Purdy sang his Verdi arias - and, to the great delight of the listeners, among them was the cabaletta from TROVATORE capped by a long sustained top tone.

Wiesbadener Kurier:

Naturally one didn't want to omit certain of the audience's favorite pieces. And one would have been astonished had they done so, given that a tenor the likes of Keith Ikaia-Purdy was on hand, as well as an Eike Wilm Schulte and a Sue Patchell - singers whose paths to the world's great opera houses began in Wiesbaden, and who on this evening proved that their international reputations were justly earned. Thus, the high C was virtually mandatory in the cabaletta from Verdi's IL TROVATORE, perfectly placed, ...

The surprise of the evening was the Radames of Ikaia-Purdy, with its pronounced heroics streaming forth in the tenor's voice; just as free from excess, and as sensitively sung as Eike Wilm Schulte's Hans Saks. In sum: operatic singing at its finest level, climaxing with the Triumphal scene from AIDA.


OPERA GALA   - Lucia Aliberti, Vladimir Chernov    17 March 2001

Pforzheimer Zeitung:

Well pleasing was the Hawaiian tenor Keith Ikaia-Purdy, in pieces such as Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore, where plangent lyricism, on long-breathed phrases, alternated with robust outbursts of thrillingly powerful sound.

(Keith Ikaia-Purdy) entered the stage with such astounding security and so much charm, that one developed the desire to travel to Vienna just to be able to experience him again.


DUO-Recital with B. Dobrzanska, Sop. and C.-R. Helg, piano -  20 July 2004

Wiesbadener Kurier:

"Radiant Ikaia-Purdy:" As usual, Ikaia-Purdy was brilliant in arias of Donizetti, Gounod, Verdi and Giordano, his gleaming tenor voice demonstrating an almost-inexhaustible strength. Tenor colleagues must envy his vocal placement, a gift of nature. He is, and this shows itself ever more clearly, a full Spinto tenor of Italian character, with a seemingly endless supply of blazingly explosive top tones.