Keaton Payne is a lyric baritone making a splash in Chicago, IL.
Payne made their opera debut with Third Eye Theatre Ensemble’s production of Menotti’s The Consul as the Secret Police Agent. Since, they have appeared in many local productions in roles such as “Escamillo” in Bizet’s Carmen, “Figaro” in Le nozze di Figaro, “The Donn” in Crean & Leonard’s The Harbingers, “Gravedigger” in Myers & Long’s Buried Alive (2014), “Colas” in Mozart’s Bastien und Bastienne, and “Jan the Second Oldest” in the revised Chicago premiere of Hollman & Kotis’ Yeast Nation.
Payne is a sought after soloist, appearing most recently in Chicago Bach Week’s performance of Bach’s Mass in B minor, with appearances in the North Shore Choral Society, Northwest Indiana Symphony’s production of Messiah, and returning soloist for UW – Platteville’s production of Haydn’s “Lord Nelson” Mass in D minor.
Payne regularly performs with the Music of the Baroque chorus under Dr. Andrew Megill and Dame Jane Glover, who are currently touring in Aspen, Colorado and New York City with Messiah . They are a member of the morning choir at Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago, a beacon of hope, acceptance, and love that routinely performs challenging works with passionate artistry.
Keaton Payne is the winner of the 2023 Donald Chen Young Artist Award held by the North Shore Choral Society. They hold a master’s degree in vocal performance from North Park University where they were the winner of the 2024 Performance Awards and a bachelor’s in vocal performance from the University of Wisconsin – Platteville where they were a three-time honors recitalist.
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