John Keene is Chorus Director of San Francisco Opera where his work has regularly received international acclaim since his appointment in January 2022. In addition to his ongoing work with the San Francisco Opera Chorus he appears in the feature-length documentary "Eun Sun Kim: A Journey into Lohengrin" which was nominated for two Northern California Emmy Awards. Previously he was Head of Music and Chorus Master at Seattle Opera where he made his company conducting debut in 2016 and was Assistant Conductor for the final presentation of Stephen Wadsworth's "Green" production of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen, released on Avie Records. Prior to Seattle he was Head of Music and Chorus Master at Florida Grand Opera where he worked with Plácido Domingo, Helen Donath, Marcello Giordani, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Sherrill Milnes, Renata Scotto, and Bryn Terfel. During his time at FGO Maestro Keene also served as interim Head of the Young Artist Studio and appeared as both pianist and conductor. For Sarasota Opera, where he was Director of the Apprentice Artist Program and Chorusmaster, he prepared choruses for the American stage premieres of Verdi's original 1857 Simon Boccanegra and Les vêpres siciliennes sung in French, as well as Carl Nielsen's Maskarade sung in Danish.
Previously at San Francisco Opera he was a faculty member of the Merola Opera Program and conducted Western Opera Theater’s thirtieth anniversary national tour of Il barbiere di Siviglia in an acclaimed production by John Copley. He has collaborated with composers John Adams, Thea Musgrave, and Huang Ruo in preparation of world premieres of their works, and also with Mason Bates, Carlisle Floyd, Gabriela Lena Frank, Rhiannon Giddens, Jake Heggie, Gian Carlo Menotti, and Bright Sheng. He regularly works with many of the world's foremost conductors including Marco Armiliato, Bertrand de Billy, John Fiore, Asher Fisch, Riccardo Frizza, Karen Kamensek, Eun Sun Kim, Carlo Montanaro, Ludovic Morlot, John Nelson, Lawrence Renes, Julius Rudel, Donald Runnicles, Giacomo Sagripanti, Klauspeter Seibel, and Patrick Summers. He has performed in honor of the United States Poet Laureate Richard Wilbur and with Dana Gioia in numerous performances of musical settings of his poems. The producers/stage directors with whom he has collaborated include Christopher and David Alden, Chris Alexander, Michael Cavanagh, John Copley, Paul Curran, Gordon Davidson, Rosalind Elias, Leonard Foglia, Colin Graham, Lindy Hume, Peter Kazaras, Amon Miyamoto, Leo Muscato, Emilio Sagi, Graziella Sciutti, Renata Scotto, Stephen Wadsworth, and Francesca Zambello.
A celebrated vocal coach and teacher, John Keene was a member of the opera faculty at the Mannes College of Music and has presented masterclasses in vocal repertoire, opera, and accompanying across the United States. A mentor to emerging artists over the past three decades, his former students include acclaimed artists Lisette Oropesa and Daniela Mack. As accompanist and chamber musician he has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Ambassador Auditorium in Los Angeles, and in many broadcast and digital performances with artists such as Jamie Barton, Christine Brewer, Angela Brown, Gregory Kunde, Angela Meade, Lisette Oropesa, and countless others. Recordings include the complete Italienisches Liederbuch of Hugo Wolf and the accompaniments to G. Schirmer’s anthology Twenty-Four Italian Songs and Arias, as well as Der Ring des Nibelungen recorded live at Seattle Opera for which he served as musical advisor. For five seasons he toured as recital partner to the baritone Ben Holt including a memorable performance for inmates inside Lorton Prison; they can be heard together on a recording of live performances issued to benefit the Ben Holt Memorial Scholarship Fund at the Juilliard School of Music. He is a longtime adjudicator for the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition.
John Keene is a graduate of the University of Southern California where he was twice awarded highest honors, first as solo pianist and again as accompanist. His principal teacher and mentor was the pioneer teacher of the art of accompanying, Gwendolyn Koldofsky, in whose song classes he partnered fellow student Thomas Hampson at her request. He also studied with Brooks Smith, John Perry, and Natalie Limonick. While still a student he accompanied soprano Johanna Meier, mezzo Gloria Lane, violinists Oscar Shumsky, Sally O'Reilly, Eudice Shapiro, and Pamela Frank, and cellists Gabor Rejto and Eleonore Schoenfeld. A former cellist himself, he became the youngest ever member of his hometown Lancaster Symphony Orchestra at age twelve.
Previously at San Francisco Opera he was a faculty member of the Merola Opera Program and conducted Western Opera Theater’s thirtieth anniversary national tour of Il barbiere di Siviglia in an acclaimed production by John Copley. He has collaborated with composers John Adams, Thea Musgrave, and Huang Ruo in preparation of world premieres of their works, and also with Mason Bates, Carlisle Floyd, Gabriela Lena Frank, Rhiannon Giddens, Jake Heggie, Gian Carlo Menotti, and Bright Sheng. He regularly works with many of the world's foremost conductors including Marco Armiliato, Bertrand de Billy, John Fiore, Asher Fisch, Riccardo Frizza, Karen Kamensek, Eun Sun Kim, Carlo Montanaro, Ludovic Morlot, John Nelson, Lawrence Renes, Julius Rudel, Donald Runnicles, Giacomo Sagripanti, Klauspeter Seibel, and Patrick Summers. He has performed in honor of the United States Poet Laureate Richard Wilbur and with Dana Gioia in numerous performances of musical settings of his poems. The producers/stage directors with whom he has collaborated include Christopher and David Alden, Chris Alexander, Michael Cavanagh, John Copley, Paul Curran, Gordon Davidson, Rosalind Elias, Leonard Foglia, Colin Graham, Lindy Hume, Peter Kazaras, Amon Miyamoto, Leo Muscato, Emilio Sagi, Graziella Sciutti, Renata Scotto, Stephen Wadsworth, and Francesca Zambello.
A celebrated vocal coach and teacher, John Keene was a member of the opera faculty at the Mannes College of Music and has presented masterclasses in vocal repertoire, opera, and accompanying across the United States. A mentor to emerging artists over the past three decades, his former students include acclaimed artists Lisette Oropesa and Daniela Mack. As accompanist and chamber musician he has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall, the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Ambassador Auditorium in Los Angeles, and in many broadcast and digital performances with artists such as Jamie Barton, Christine Brewer, Angela Brown, Gregory Kunde, Angela Meade, Lisette Oropesa, and countless others. Recordings include the complete Italienisches Liederbuch of Hugo Wolf and the accompaniments to G. Schirmer’s anthology Twenty-Four Italian Songs and Arias, as well as Der Ring des Nibelungen recorded live at Seattle Opera for which he served as musical advisor. For five seasons he toured as recital partner to the baritone Ben Holt including a memorable performance for inmates inside Lorton Prison; they can be heard together on a recording of live performances issued to benefit the Ben Holt Memorial Scholarship Fund at the Juilliard School of Music. He is a longtime adjudicator for the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition.
John Keene is a graduate of the University of Southern California where he was twice awarded highest honors, first as solo pianist and again as accompanist. His principal teacher and mentor was the pioneer teacher of the art of accompanying, Gwendolyn Koldofsky, in whose song classes he partnered fellow student Thomas Hampson at her request. He also studied with Brooks Smith, John Perry, and Natalie Limonick. While still a student he accompanied soprano Johanna Meier, mezzo Gloria Lane, violinists Oscar Shumsky, Sally O'Reilly, Eudice Shapiro, and Pamela Frank, and cellists Gabor Rejto and Eleonore Schoenfeld. A former cellist himself, he became the youngest ever member of his hometown Lancaster Symphony Orchestra at age twelve.