He was one of the founding members of the NBC Opera Theatre, a company he performed with throughout the 1950s in such productions as Benjamin Britten's Billy Budd and the world premiere of Norman Dello Joio's The Trial at Rouen.
At the NYCO he notably appeared in a number of world premieres including Hugo Weisgall's Six Characters in Search of an Author (1959), Robert Ward's The Crucible (1961), and Dominick Argento's Miss Havisham's Fire (1979).
[2] While a student at Juilliard he made his professional concert debut in 1947 at Carnegie Hall as the baritone soloist in the world premiere of Charles F. Bryan's Bell Witch Cantata with Robert Shaw conducting.
[5] Ukena's first critical success came on the concert stage when he served as the baritone soloist in the United States premiere of Frederick Delius's Requiem on November 6, 1950, at Carnegie Hall in New York City with the Collegiate Chorale, the National Orchestra Association conducted by William Johnson.
[7] He continued to perform regularly with the NBCOT through 1957, notably creating roles in the world premieres of Lukas Foss's Griffelkin (1955, as Uncle Skelter[8]) and Norman Dello Joio's The Trial at Rouen (1956, as the Jailer[9]).
[18] He continued to perform regularly with the NYCO through 1979, notably creating roles in the world premieres of Hugo Weisgall's Six Characters in Search of an Author (1959, The Father[19]), Robert Ward's The Crucible (1961, Thomas Putnam[20]), Douglas Moore's The Wings of the Dove (1961, Homer Croy[21]), and Dominick Argento's Miss Havisham's Fire (1979, Old Orlick).
[31] In 1952 he portrayed Fred Graham (and Petruchio) in Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate at the South Shore Music Circus in Massachusetts and the Lakes Region Playhouse in New Hampshire with Elaine Malbin as Lilli and Betty George as Lisa Kirk.
[34] He appeared in several musicals with the Fort Wayne Light Opera at the Foellinger Outdoor Theatre in Franke Park, including Kiss Me Kate (1953, Fred Graham) and Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel (1954, Billy).
[35] In 1954 Ukena made his off-Broadway debut at the Phoenix Theatre as Fred Burger in Earl Robinson and Waldo Salt's Sandhog which was directed by Howard da Silva and used choreography by Sophie Maslow.
[39] In 1958 he portrayed Frank E. Butler in Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun at Herb Rogers's Tenthouse Theater in the Round in Chicago with Helen Gallagher in the title role.
[47] At Mannes he directed several opera productions, including stagings of Gian Carlo Menotti's The Old Maid and the Thief, Carl Maria von Weber's Abu Hassan, and the United States premiere of Wolfgang Fortner's Corinna (with an English translation by Ukena) at the 92nd Street Y in 1972.