Jakub Kettner studied singing at the Pardubice Conservatory, then between 1993 and 1999 studied at the Faculty of Music and Dance at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (HAMU) under the supervision of Prof. René Tuček. After his studies he attended private singing lessons guided by Viera Schausch in Ostrava.  In 1997 he received a scholarship for his studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Austrian Graz, his lecturer was Gottfried Hornik, a soloist of the Vienna State Opera. Between 1996 and 2001 he was a member of the F.X. Šalda Theatre in Liberec. Then he signed a contract with the Moravian Theatre Olomouc where he was performing until 2012. 

Since 2012 he has been a member of the National Moravian-Silesian Theatre, his roles at the theatre were for example Escamillo in Bizet’s Carmen, Přemysl in Janáček’s Šárka, Theseus in Martinů’s Ariadne, Albert in Massenet’s Werther, diplomat De Siriex in Giordano’s Fedora, Vincenzo Gellner in Catalani’s La Wally and the title role of Verdi’s Nabucco. He has also recently portrayed the roles of Lord Guglielmo Cecil in Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda and Carlo Gérard in Giordano’s Andrea Chénier here.
Between 2003 and 2015 Kettner often guest-starred at the National Theatre in Prague and also in Brno, as well as at many other Czech theatres or at the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava. He portrayed the roles of Ludovic in Philip Glass’s opera La Belle et la Bête, Bohuš in The Jacobin by Dvořák and the Forester (Revírník) in Janáček's The Cunning Little Vixen, Count Tomsky in Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades and the title role of Eugene Onegin, Figaro in Rossini's The Barber of Seville, Lord Enrico Ashton in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor and Belcore in L'elisir d'amore, Guglielmo in Mozart's Così fan tutte and Count Almaviva in The Marriage of Figaro
 
His other roles were: Amonasro in Verdi’s Aida, Giorgio Germont in La Traviata, Guy de Montfort in The Sicilian Vespers, Iago in Othello, Ezio in Attila, and the title roles of Nabucco and Simon Boccanegra. He has also portrayed Sharpless in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Baron Scarpia in Tosca, Marcello in La bohéme or Lescaut in Manon Lescaut. We could also see him as Telramund in Wagner’s Lohengrin and the Dutchman in The Flying Dutchman
 
His role of Sancho Panza (in Massenet's Don Quichotte) at the State Opera Prague earned him a wider nomination for the 2009 Thalia Award, later he was awarded the “Libuška” prize (an OPERA 2011 Festival honorary award) for his outstanding interpretation of Escamillo in Bizet's Carmen at the Moravian Theatre Olomouc. He has also regularly guest-starred at several theatres abroad (in Japan, Turkey, Malta, France, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Hungary and Poland). In 2015 he portrayed the role of Harašta in Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen at the Teatro Regio di Torino.
 
Cast - Season:
A MASKED BALLSilvano, a sailor
LA TRAVIATABarone Douphol
LADY MACBETH OF THE MTSENSK DISTRICTYard Keeper
Police Sergeant
NABUCCOHigh priest of Bel
RUSALKAGamekeeper
Hunter
THE BARBER OF SEVILLE!!!Fiorello, Almaviva's servant
TOSCA A Sacristan
A MASKED BALLSilvano, a sailor
FATELhotský, painter
JULIETTE, OR THE KEY OF DREAMSMan with the helmet / The seller of memories / The beggar
LA TRAVIATABarone Douphol
RUSALKAGamekeeper
Hunter
THE BARBER OF SEVILLE!!!Fiorello, Almaviva's servant
THE TRIALMagistrate / Assistant / Lawyer Huld / Offstage Voice
FATELhotský, painter
JULIETTE, OR THE KEY OF DREAMSMan with the helmet / The seller of memories / The beggar
LA TRAVIATABarone Douphol
LADY MACBETH OF THE MTSENSK DISTRICTYard Keeper
Police Sergeant
SECRETAn entrepreneur
THE BARBER OF SEVILLE!!!Fiorello, Almaviva's servant
THE BARTERED BRIDEKrušina, a peasant
IPHIGÉNIE EN AULIDECalchas, the High Priest
LA TRAVIATABarone Douphol
LADY MACBETH OF THE MTSENSK DISTRICTYard Keeper
Police Sergeant
SECRETAn entrepreneur
THE BARBER OF SEVILLE!!!Fiorello, Almaviva's servant
THE BARTERED BRIDEKrušina, a peasant
SECRETAn entrepreneur
TEMPESTAlonso, King of Naples
THE BARBER OF SEVILLE!!!Fiorello, Almaviva's servant
THE BARTERED BRIDEKrušina, a peasant
ANDREA CHÉNIERCarlo Gérard, a servant
LA TRAVIATAGiorgio Germont, Alfredo's father
MARY STUARTLord Guglielmo Cecil, Chancellor of the Exchequer
NABUCCONabucco, King of Babylon
ANDREA CHÉNIERCarlo Gérard, a servant
ERNANIDon Carlo, later Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
GENOVEVASiegfried, Count of Brabante
LA TRAVIATAGiorgio Germont, Alfredo's father
MARY STUARTLord Guglielmo Cecil, Chancellor of the Exchequer
NABUCCONabucco, King of Babylon
ERNANIDon Carlo
GENOVEVASiegfried
LA WALLYVincenzo Gellner
LOHENGRINFriedrich von Telramund
NABUCCO

FEDORA
LA TRAVIATA
LA WALLYVincenzo Gellner
LOHENGRINFriedrich von Telramund
NABUCCO
CARMENEscamillo
FEDORA
LA TRAVIATA
NABUCCO
CARMENEscamillo
FEDORA
NABUCCO
ŠÁRKA, ARIADNA

THE BATDr. Falke, notář
WERTHERAlbert
THE BATDr. Falke, notář
Photos - Season:
A MASKED BALL
Jakub Kettner (Silvano, a sailor), Irena Parlov (Ulrica, a fortune-teller)
Photo by: Martin Popelář
RUSALKA
Ivana Ambrúsová (Kitchen girl), Jakub Kettner (Gamekeeper)
Photo by: Martin Popelář
RUSALKA
Denisa Bílá (Kitchen girl), Jakub Kettner (Gamekeeper)
Photo by: Martin Popelář
RUSALKA
Jakub Kettner (Gamekeeper)
Photo by: Martin Popelář
RUSALKA
Jakub Kettner (Gamekeeper), Ivana Ambrúsová (Kitchen girl), Martin Gurbaľ (Vodník, the water goblin)
Photo by: Martin Popelář
FATE
V slunce lesku, v záři ranní přijměte, o milostivá, povinnou tuto poctu!

Jakub Kettner (Lhotský, painter), Linda Ballová (Míla Válková), Lukáš Bařák (Konečný), Anna Knollová (Water pouring girl), Petr Levíček (Doctor Suda)
Photo by: Martin Popelář
JULIETTE, OR THE KEY OF DREAMS
Ivana Pavlů (Woman selling birds and poultry / First gentleman), Jakub Kettner (Man with the helmet / The seller of memories / The beggar), Jiří Rajniš (Old Arab / Grandfather / The old sailor / Voice from behind / The nightwatchman), Markéta Cukrová (Small Arab / The young sailor / Chasseur), Jan Šťáva (Man in the window / Grandfather Youth / The convict), Ondřej Koplík (The police officer / The messenger / The forest guard / The railway engineer), Jorge Garza (Michel)
Photo by: Martin Popelář
JULIETTE, OR THE KEY OF DREAMS
Luciano Mastro (Michel), Denisa Bílá (Woman selling birds and poultry / First gentleman), Martin Gurbaľ (Old Arab / Grandfather / The old sailor / Voice from behind / The nightwatchman), Jakub Kettner (Man with the helmet / The seller of memories / The beggar), Alžběta Vomáčková (Woman selling fish - Fortune teller), Ondřej Koplík (The police officer / The messenger / The forest guard / The railway engineer), Markéta Cukrová (Small Arab / The young sailor / Chasseur), Ivana Ambrúsová (Second gentleman), Jan Šťáva (Man in the window / Grandfather Youth / The convict)
Photo by: Martin Popelář
JULIETTE, OR THE KEY OF DREAMS
Jakub Kettner (Man with the helmet / The seller of memories / The beggar), Jiří Rajniš (Old Arab / Grandfather / The old sailor / Voice from behind / The nightwatchman), Jorge Garza (Michel), Anna Nitrová (Small Arab / The young sailor / Chasseur), Pavel Vančura (Man in the window / Grandfather Youth / The convict)
Photo by: Martin Popelář
JULIETTE, OR THE KEY OF DREAMS
Jorge Garza (Michel), Doubravka Novotná (Julietta), Jakub Kettner (Man with the helmet / The seller of memories / The beggar)
Photo by: Martin Popelář
JULIETTE, OR THE KEY OF DREAMS
Jakub Kettner (Man with the helmet / The seller of memories / The beggar), Ondřej Koplík (The police officer / The messenger / The forest guard / The railway engineer), Jan Šťáva (Man in the window / Grandfather Youth / The convict), Luciano Mastro (Michel), Kateřina Kněžíková (Julietta), Markéta Cukrová (Small Arab / The young sailor / Chasseur), Ivana Pavlů (Woman selling birds and poultry / First gentleman), Magda Málková (Grandmother / The old lady), Petr Levíček (The official)
Photo by: Martin Popelář
IPHIGÉNIE EN AULIDE
Zjeví-li se mé dítě v Aulidě, zavede-li ji sem její osud. Ach, pak ji nic nezachrání…

Jiří Hájek (Agamemnon, King of Mycenae), Jakub Kettner (Calchas, the High Priest)
Photo by: Martin Popelář
IPHIGÉNIE EN AULIDE
Oni vědí, že i tobě navzdory musejí ji přivést k oltáři, či k němu dokonce sama půjde. 

Jakub Kettner (Calchas, the High Priest)
Photo by: Martin Popelář
IPHIGÉNIE EN AULIDE
Jakub Kettner (Calchas, the High Priest), Jiří Hájek (Agamemnon, King of Mycenae)
Photo by: Martin Popelář
LA TRAVIATA
Jen blázen dokáže snad rozkoší, hrátek se vzdát.

Milena Arsovska (Violetta Valéry), Jakub Kettner (Barone Douphol)
Photo by: Martin Popelář
LA TRAVIATA
Vyspi se a sílu zas k hýření načerpej!
Sbor opery NDM

Petr Urbánek (Marchese d'Aubigny), Anna Nitrová (Flora Bervoix), Luciano Mastro (Alfredo Germont), Ondřej Koplík (Gastone, viscount de Letorieres), Milena Arsovska (Violetta Valéry), Jakub Kettner (Barone Douphol), Martin Gurbaľ (Dottore Grenvil)
Photo by: Martin Popelář
LADY MACBETH OF THE MTSENSK DISTRICT
Ty jsi ale prasák, prsa mám celá poštípaná.

Jakub Kettner (Yard Keeper), Olga Jelínková (Aksinya), Rudolf Medňanský (Seedy Lout)
Photo by: Martin Popelář
LADY MACBETH OF THE MTSENSK DISTRICT
Rudolf Medňanský (Seedy Lout), Jakub Kettner (Police Sergeant)
Photo by: Martin Popelář
LADY MACBETH OF THE MTSENSK DISTRICT
Aleš Briscein (Sergei), Elena Suvorova (Katerina Ismailova), Jakub Kettner (Police Sergeant)
Photo by: Martin Popelář
THE BARTERED BRIDE
Linda Ballová (Mařenka, their daughter), František Zahradníček (Mícha, a landowner), Anna Nitrová (Háta, his wife), Martin Gurbaľ (Kecal, a marriage broker), Jakub Kettner (Krušina, a peasant), Eva Dřízgová-Jirušová (Ludmila, his wife)
Photo by: Eva Františáková
SECRET
Ivana Ambrúsová (The innkeeper), Jakub Kettner (An entrepreneur)
Photo by: Martin Popelář
SECRET
Sbor opery NDM

Jakub Kettner (An entrepreneur)
Photo by: Martin Popelář
THE BARBER OF SEVILLE!!!
Jakub Kettner (Fiorello, Almaviva's servant)
Photo by: Martin Popelář
THE BARBER OF SEVILLE!!!
Martin Šrejma (Count Almaviva), Jakub Kettner (Fiorello, Almaviva's servant)
Photo by: Martin Popelář
ANDREA CHÉNIER
Jakub Kettner (Carlo Gérard, a servant)
Photo by: Martin Popelář
ANDREA CHÉNIER
Jakub Kettner (Carlo Gérard, a servant), Václav Morys (The Incredible, a spy)
Photo by: Martin Popelář
ANDREA CHÉNIER
Eva Urbanová (Maddalena de Coigny), Jakub Kettner (Carlo Gérard, a servant)
Photo by: Martin Popelář
GENOVEVA
Yvona Škvárová (Margaretha), Jakub Kettner (Siegfried), Frédérique Friess (Genoveva), Blagoj Nacoski (Golo)
Photo by: Martin Popelář
GENOVEVA
Jakub Kettner (Siegfried), Martin Gurbaľ (Balthasar), Frédérique Friess (Genoveva), Roman Vlkovič (Caspar), Yvona Škvárová (Margaretha)
Photo by: Martin Popelář

Jakub Kettner
Photo by: Martin Popelář
LA WALLY
Jakub Kettner (Vincenzo Gellner), Bogdan Kurowski (Stromminger)
Photo by: Daniel Jäger
LOHENGRIN
Therese Waldner (Ortrud), Jakub Kettner (Friedrich von Telramund)
Photo by: Martin Popelář
LOHENGRIN
Jakub Kettner (Friedrich von Telramund), Therese Waldner (Ortrud)
Photo by: Martin Popelář
LOHENGRIN
Jakub Kettner (Friedrich von Telramund)
Photo by: Martin Popelář
NABUCCO
Jakub Kettner
Photo by: Martin Popelář
NABUCCO
Jakub Kettner
Photo by: Daniel Jäger
CARMEN
Jakub Kettner (Escamillo)
Photo by: Daniel Jäger
FEDORA
Nana Miriani, Jakub Kettner
Photo by: Martin Popelář