ABOUT | Kyle Naig

About Kyle

“Kyle Naig

conducts with flair from the harpsichord.”

- LA Times

Kyle Naig is a conductor, pianist, and coach from Des Moines, Iowa. In the 24/25 season, he appears as guest music staff at LA Opera (Madama Butterfly) and Houston Grand Opera (Breaking the Waves), while maintaining an active conducting schedule at several companies including Pacific Opera Project, Opera Orlando, Opera Laguna, and Pocket Opera. Since 2022, Kyle has held a faculty music staff position at San Francisco Conservatory. Kyle is a 2020 graduate of the Houston Grand Opera Studio, where he worked on productions of Aïda, Saul, Don Giovanni, Florencia en el Amazonas, and La bohème, as well as the premiere workshop of El Milagro del Recuerdo in Mexico City. He also enjoys work as a recitalist and arranger.

In the 23/24 season, Kyle’s schedule included two engagements conducting The Barber of Seville (Pacific Opera Project and Penn Square Opera) as well as a stint music directing Into the Woods at Simpson College. He also conducted a double bill at SFCM Undergraduate Opera, as well as a premiere workshop at LOLA in Austin, Texas. In the summer, he served as associate conductor for another production of Il barbiere di Siviglia at his home company, Des Moines Metro Opera.

In the 22/23 season, Kyle served as music director and conductor at both Opera Montana (Into the Woods) and Opera Orlando (Gianni Schicchi/La cambiale di matrimonio), and was heard in recital with tenor Duke Kim at The Florentine Opera. Returning to Pacific Opera Project twice, he conducted The Elixir of Love and then served as conductor, music director, continuo harpsichordist, and arranger for the U.S. premiere of Vivaldi's Ercole su'l Termodonte.

Kyle has appeared as music staff at many other American opera companies, including The Dallas Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Opera Santa Barbara, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, The Glimmerglass Festival, North Carolina Opera, Virginia Opera, Opera Memphis, and Cedar Rapids Opera.

PRESS MATERIALS

"... at once showed the skill of the small band [which was] propulsively directed by Kyle Naig at the keyboard."

"The three-part introductory sinfonia, self-borrowed by Vivaldi from his earlier opera Armida, at once showed the skill of POP’s small band of 18th century-clad and bewigged players, with clean, virtually vibrato-free articulation from the string quintet (two cellos), led by concertmistress Boryana Popova and underpinned by Jason Yoshida on the long-necked theorbo, and all propulsively directed by Kyle Naig at the keyboard. The numerous brief instrumental coverings of scene changes [selected and] added by [Naig] featured some exquisite oboe and flute solos, with a stentorian trumpet occasionally added to the mix."

- LA Opus Review: ERCOLE SU'L TERMODONTE

KYLE NAIG