(operatic singing)
- There's something about standing on stage
and thinking about the people
that have doubted me in the past.
Standing on stage and thinking about the people
who I would say, "Hello.", to and they would just look
at me and keep on walking.
It's in that moment when I'm on stage
when none of that mattered,
where people see me as more than just a janitor.
I am Keanon Kyles.
I am an internationally touring opera singer.
I've performed at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall
and the Chicago Theatre, and all these amazing venues,
but at the end of the day, in order to support
those dreams and support my life, I am a janitor.
(wheels rolling)
I am a janitor because bills are something
that is very real (laughs),
and as you get older, they get bigger.
The assumptions that people have about janitors,
are that they are uneducated, impoverished.
I cannot tell you how many looks I've gotten,
and the side-eyes, because they just think that,
"Oh, you're just a janitor."
It's so interesting because they never took
the time to really know who this person is
that is cleaning up after them.
Being an opera singer is very hard.
It's not easy, technically, because opera music
is very complex.
I meet with my vocal coach/mentor once or twice a week,
but I, myself, rehearse probably two hours on top
of that a day.
I am currently rehearsing this lead role of Rigoletto,
for the Clyde Opera Group's production,
in Scotland.
(operatic singing)
Rigoletto is my first title role,
which makes this moment so amazing for me,
because the whole opera is about him and his story.
Coming from being a janitor to starring
in a show is very empowering.
(operatic singing)
Being a janitor has humbled me and has grounded me so much.
You have to hold onto yourself because nobody
cares about your dreams more than you do.
(operatic singing)