Biography

Kolby Van Camp (b. 1999) is an American opera singer, composer, broadcaster, and media creator.  A native of Kansas, Van Camp attended Kansas State University where he graduated with his Bachelor of Music Composition and Bachelor of Music Education degrees in 2022.  Van Camp has returned to Kansas State to continue his work as a teacher, sports broadcaster, radio personality, and content creator, and will graduate with a Master of Science in Mass Communications in 2024. Additionally, Van Camp will also graduate in 2024 from Southern Utah University with a Master of Music in Music Technology - Film Music to expand his knowledge as a composer for films and multi-media projects.

As a singer, Van Camp has performed and recorded with professional ensembles such as the Tallgrass Chamber Choir and Blue Earth Camerata, and is an internationally award winning singer.  As a classically trained baritone, he has brought life to a range of operatic roles from works such as Susannah and Signor Deluso, given concerts in such celebrated venues as Carnegie Hall and the Mormon Tabernacle, and has recorded two albums of acoustic music, All-American and Contemplation, and one EP of music composed purely through electronic methods, Portraits, Vol. I. Van Camp is also an accomplished composer, writing for a variety of instruments, and is routinely commissioned to write new music for a range of events and celebrations. His compositional style has been described as distinctly post-minimal.

When not concertizing as a professional musician, Van Camp has created a second career for himself in radio, sports broadcasting, and media creation. Utilizing his unique skills as an opera singer and his background in performing, Van Camp has firmly solidified himself as the first operatic sports broadcaster in history with his signature "Touchdown Wildcats!" which can be heard all over the air on Wildcat 91.9 FM, the Kansas State student radio station. At Wildcat 91.9, Van Camp serves as the executive sports producer, charitable giving director, sports broadcaster, radio host, and content creator. Whether he is calling high school basketball games, hosting one of his numerous podcasts, or shouting "K-State wins!" from the Big 12 Football Championship at AT&T Stadium, Van Camp's award winning commentary and personality can be heard and enjoyed all over the world. In his roles with Wildcat 91.9 and Channel 8 KKSU-TV, Van Camp was named by the 2023 Intercollegiate Broadcasting System as the best graduate assistant in the country and was a part of the Wildcat 91.9 team that won the IBS awards for best college radio station (10,000+ students) and the Abraham and Borst Award for best overall college radio station in the country - an award that is the equivalent to winning a national championship in a sport at the Division I level. 

Van Camp is an active podcaster and content creator, and has recently made an entrance to the global podcasting community after his astronomy podcast, The Space Between, crashed into the tops of the charts in the United States, Australia, Belgium, Poland, and Argentina, and has been enjoyed by hundreds of listeners in over thirty different countries. Van Camp is known for his laid-back but detailed interview style and has successfully conducted energetic and engaging interviews with individuals from all walks of life, ranging from two-time GRAMMY® Award winning composer Christopher Tin, to Naismith National Coach of the Year Award winner Jerome Tang, to internationally renown astronomer, astrophysicist, professor at Columbia University, and YouTuber, Professor David Kipping of the Cool Worlds Lab.

When not concertizing, teaching, or broadcasting, Van Camp enjoys collecting pocket watches, astrophotography, and is a whisk(e)y connoisseur, amassing a considerable private collection of bourbons, scotches, and more. Van Camp is currently a member of the Topeka Whiskey Society, the Maker’s Mark Ambassador Program, and is a Certified Bourbon Steward through the Stave and Thief Society – a distinction which allows him to pursue further certification towards the whisk(e)y equivalent of what would be a Master Sommelier in the wine community. Van Camp and his wife Anna currently live in Manhattan, Kansas, and have three cats: Pippa, Willie, and Freya.