Kempster’s career highlights include Sharples Madama Butterfly (Dallas Opera; ENO; WNO; Royal Danish Opera; Royal Albert Hall); Germont La traviata (WNO; Royal Danish Opera; Glyndebourne); Di Luna Il Trovatore (Scottish Opera; WNO; ENO; Royal Danish Opera); Iago Otello (Opera North; WNO; Royal Danish Opera; ENO); Lescaut Manon Lescaut (Florida Grand Opera; ENO; WNO); title role Rigoletto (Gothenburg Opera; Royal Danish Opera; Danish National Opera); Jack Rance La fanciulla del West, Roc The Exterminating Angel and the title role in Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd (Royal Danish Opera); Balstrode Peter Grimes (Opera North/Aldeburgh Grimes on the Beach; WNO); the Duke of Nottingham Roberto Devereux (Dallas Opera; WNO); Amonastro Aida (Royal Albert Hall); Riccardo Forth I Puritani (Danish National Opera; WNO); the title role in Nabucco, Guillaume Tell, Don Giovanni and Alfio/Tonio Cavalleria Rusticana & I Pagliacci (Welsh National Opera); title role Nabucco (Savonlinna Festival); Renato Un ballo in Maschera, Marcello La bohème, Belcore The Elixir of Love, Poacher Cunning Little Vixen (ENO); Falke Die Fledermaus (Glyndebourne); Marco Gianni Schicchi and as the baritone soloist in Will Tuckett’s production of Elizabeth (Royal Opera House); Miller Luisa Miller (Buxton International Festival); Escamillo Carmen (Glyndebourne; Royal Albert Hall; Royal Danish Opera); Michele Il Tabarro (Copenhagen Opera Festival); Scarpia Tosca (Royal Danish Opera; Danish National Opera); and Chou En Lai Nixon in China (ENO & Royal Danish Opera).

On the concert platform he has performed with The Hallé, Trondheim Symfoniorkester, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Copenhagen Philharmonic, London Mozart Players, Johannesburg Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the Ulster Orchestra, at the BBC Proms, the Welsh Proms, and the Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele. He has made several recordings, including the role of Sévère Les Martyrs with Opera Rara under Sir Mark Elder, and Peter in Elgar’s The Apostles at the BBC Proms.