Stuart Skelton is a grammy-nominated operatic powerhouse, who has been captivating audiences for more than 20 years as one of the world’s finest heldentenors. Winner of the 2014 International Opera Awards Male Singer of the Year, Stuart has been critically acclaimed for his outstanding musicianship, tonal beauty and his intensely dramatic portrayals in performances on the leading concert and operatic stages of the world. Fluent in French, German, Italian, and Spanish, his portrayals of many of opera’s most challenging roles have enchanted audiences from the Metropolitan Opera to La Scala Milan. From Wagner’s Parsifal, Tristan, Lohengrin, Erik and Siegmund to Beethoven’s Florestan and Saint-Saëns’ Samson to Britten’s Peter Grimes, Stuart’s performances are a remarkable combination of his physical and mental strength combined with his unique artistic talent.
Stuart grew up in Sydney and was awarded a choral scholarship when he was nine years old, to attend St Andrews Cathedral School in Sydney. He saw his first opera in 1984, while doing work experience with The Australian Opera. He never thought he’d sing for a living, and studied to be a lawyer at university, but his opera teacher continued to enter him into local eisteddfods and 1993 he made his operatic debut in a production of La Traviata for Rockdale Opera, and then at the Sydney Opera House in a revival of Die Meistersinger. As part of his scholarship, Stuart travelled to the USA, to study at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, graduating with his Master of Music in Voice. After graduating, he won a place in the San Francisco Opera’s Merola Opera Program for young artists, establishing his career in the US before spreading his wings into the European opera scene.
Today, Stuart continues to be in demand on concert stages around the globe, having appeared with many of the best orchestras in the world, as well as at the Edinburgh and Lucerne Festivals, and in the BBC Proms. Beyond the stage, Stuart also plays a key role in developing the next generation of opera singers, having accepted positions as Guest Professor at the Iceland University of the Arts, and Professor of Voice at his old alma mater, the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music – where he also chairs the Opera Department. Stuart recently released his first solo Album, Shining Knight, with works by Wagner, Griffes and Barber and Tristan und Isolde, both recorded with West Australian Symphony Orchestra under Asher Fisch. His heroic vocalism and musical sensitivity make him one of the greatest voices of our time.
Listen to the full interview with Stuart Skelton on our #GlobalAustralianPodcast.
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