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28-year-old Keanon Kyles, a janitor at Chicago’s ABC affiliate, has been known for singing opera on the job. Kyles’ dream of performing in the U.K. is coming true, as he was offered a lead role in Puccini’s opera La Bohème at the Edinburgh International Festival this July.
Kyles says he went online to search for “opera auditions in the U.K.” and he found one that stood out to him. He then submitted a video of him singing two pieces. Kyles admitted that he wasn’t even expecting to get a call-back, but the very next day his phone rang offering him the role.
Kyles was shocked he was offered a role, since auditions were open to opera singers all over the world. Kyles told ABC, “I am the only American chosen for the opera.” “Everyone else is from overseas, so I go there feeling as if I’m representing a nation,” he added.
Kyles says that he has worked hard to get where he is. He’s a janitor by night, but he also works in retail and coaches voice lessons during the day. He works around 90 hours per week, proving hard work really does pay off. Read more on the story, and hear Kyles sing here.
