Quick Facts
Biography
Joseph Keckler is an American singer, musician, and writer.Named a "major vocal talent" by the New York Times,Keckler's concerts have been presented at Lincoln Center, Centre Pompidou, London's Soho Theatre, SXSW, The Adult Swim Festival, and many other venues. Keckler's vocal range is rare in the sense that it spans over three octaves.His works often involve humor, autobiography, and cultural observation.
As a teenager, Keckler set out to become an "androgynous white blues singer." He subsequently trained classically as a bass-baritone and now works in multiple styles, largely operating in a singular genre of his own invention which fuses operatic vocals, storytelling, and contemporary subject matter. Of his arias, "Shroom Aria," is the best known. Deemed a "classic" by Indiewire, the piece has been performed at The Performa Biennial and was made into a music video, directed by Liam Lynch and produced the comedian Chris Hardwick.
In 2017 he released his first book, Dragon at the Edge of a Flat World (Turtle Point Press), a collection of essays and stories.
Keckler's work has included original baroque pop songs, classical and experimental vocalization, videos, and performed stories, dreamlike monologues, and essays.
He has worked in music, comedy, and the art world.
In June 2015, Keckler appeared in Dave Malloy's Preludes at the Lincoln Center Theater 3. He portrayed Feodor Chaliapin, a famous opera singer and long time friend to Sergei Rachmaninoff.