Fast-rising American countertenor, Key’mon Murrah, heralded for his wide range and “hot coal core o tone” by Schmopera.com , is performing across the world on top opera, oratorio, and concert stages.

Mr. Murrah has performed at the University of Kentucky Opera Theatre and the Bluegrass Opera. He has sung the role of Tolomeo from Handel's Giulio Cesare with the Red River Lyric Opera and Asprano in Vivaldi's Montezuma with the America Baroque Opera Co. He was selected in the Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute in a Masterclass with Joyce DiDonato in 2019, and he continued his studies at the International Vocal Arts Institute. In 2020, he toured with the American Spiritual Ensemble and was a young artist at the Glimmerglass Opera Festival. In 2021, Mr. Murrah was a featured artist at the Florida Grand Opera for their 2020- 2021 season and sang Bertarido from Handel's Rodelinda as a Fleming Artist at Aspen Music Festival.

In the 2021-22 season, Murrah debuted the title role in Gluck's "Orfeo ed Euridice" at Seattle Opera, the role of Leonardo with a new production of "Frida y Diego" with San Diego Opera, and Hyacinthus in Mozart's "Apollo and Hyacinthus" with America Baroque Opera Co. He debuted at the Houston Grand Opera and the Grand Rapids Symphony.

In 2021, he was heard on the stage of The Houston Grand Opera as the 1st Place Winner of the 33rd Annual Concert of Arias, as the Grand Prize winner of the Premiere Opera Foundation + NYIOP International Vocal Competition, and Finalist and Encouragement award winner of Operalia. In 2022, he became a Sullivan Foundation Award and Career Bridges Award recipient. He also won first place for the Belvedere Singing Competition and the Giulio Gari Vocal Competition.

His other awards include the 2018 Encouragement Award for the Metropolitan Opera Council Central District Auditions and 2nd place award for the Emerging Soloists Competition. First place in the 2020 Camille Coloratura Competition and was a semi-finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions after winning the Nashville District Auditions. Also in 2021, Murrah won 2nd place in the Rochester International Oratorio Competition.

In the 2022- 2023 season, he made his debuts at the San Diego Opera as Leonardo in Frank’s “El último sueño de Frida y Diego”, Theatre du Capitol de Toulouse, St. Louis Symphony, Bayerische Staatsoper as the Sorceress and Spirit in “Dido and Aeneas”, Detroit Opera as the title character in “Xerxes”, Ars Lyrica, Komische Oper Berlin as Hamor in Handel’s “Jephtha”.

In the 2023- 2024 season, he returned to the Bayerische Staatsoper and Detroit Opera, made his debuts at LA Opera in Frank’s “El último sueño de Frida y Diego”, New Jersey Symphony, Metropolitan Opera in Adams’ “El Niño”, and Opera Theater of St. Louis as Tolomeo in Handel’s “Giulio Cesare”.

This December, Mr. Murrah will premiere a new, one man, opera composed by Jake Heggie at Fort Worth Symphony entitled Earth 2.0, (conducted by Robert Spano) and he will also be making his Kennedy Center debut in honor of receiving the 2024 Marian Anderson Award.

A Virginia native, Lee is the inaugural Ryan Opera Center conductor/pianist, an Ensemble position started in 2021/22. While with Lyric, he has conducted selections for Sunday in the Park with Lyric (both 2021 and 2022). Recent engagements as a conductor and pianist include Des Moines Metro Opera for Carmen (2023) and Porgy and Bess (2022) and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis for their New Works Festival (2023) and other projects. Lee recently programmed and performed in digital recitals titled Where Honor is Due with Salon 21 in Cincinnati and Adaptations with Piano by Nature, highlighting music of Black composers alongside canonical works. For the Indictus Project, he recorded for the first time a set of cotillions by Black composer Francis Johnson. Lee achieved success as a solo pianist with Liszt’s Totentanz (Eastern Music Festival’s Young Artist Orchestra). He has participated in the Chautauqua Institution, the Art of the Piano Festival, and the Wintergreen Music Festival. An alumnus of James Madison University and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Lee has served as assistant professor of piano at Kentucky State University.

The Presto Series brings top names in classical music to KMFA for intimate performances, conversations, and presentations from artists who might not otherwise be visiting Austin. These “up close and personal” encounters are exclusive opportunities to understand what spurs the creativity of these artists, to celebrate the excellence of their work, and to get to know them in the warm setting of the Draylen Mason Music Studio.