ABOUT | baritone

American Dramatic Baritone Nick Shelton has garnered unanimous accolades for his dark, piercing voice, refined musicianship, and commanding stage presence. During the 2011-2012 season, his busy schedule featured a variety of roles including Sciarrone (Tosca) with Opera Las Vegas, Frère Laurent (Roméo et Juliette) with Livermore Valley Opera, The Storyteller (A Flowering Tree -‐ Adams) with Riverside Lyric Opera (CA), King Balthazar (Amahl and the Night Visitors) with Nevada Opera and Opera Idaho, and Jose Tripaldi (Ainadamar -‐ Golijov) with Long Beach Opera under the baton of Maestro Steven Osgood of the Metropolitan Opera. Of his performance in Ainadamar, Gazettes.com raved “that is some terrific voice!” and called him “a name to remember.”

During the 2010-2011 season, Shelton appeared as Andrew (solo feature) in The Difficulty of Crossing a Field in his company debut with Long Beach Opera, Simone (Gianni Schicchi) with Celestial Opera Company, Marchese d’Obigny (La Traviata) with Riverside Lyric Opera (CA), Dottore Grenvil (La Traviata) with Center Stage Opera (CA), and King Balthazar (Amahl and the Night Visitors) with Intimate Opera of Pasadena on the main stage of the historic Pasadena Playhouse.

Professional engagements for the 2009-2010 season included the roles of Newt Lee and Riley (Parade) with the Actor’s Contemporary Theatre , Zuniga (Carmen) with Repertory Opera Company, Sergeant of Police (The Pirates of Penzance) with Inland Valley Opera, and Sciarrone and the Jailer (Tosca) with Intimate Opera of Pasadena.

A Philadelphia native, Mr. Shelton began his singing career at the urging of a vocal professor who overheard his speaking voice while a sophomore biology major at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. After his first foray into operatic performance, Nick immediately recognized his passion for the genre and went on to complete his undergraduate studies in vocal performance. In further training, Mr. Shelton became a proud alum of the prestigious OperaWorks Advanced Artist Program under the direction of Ann Baltz.