Robert Stahley
About this Artist
American dramatic tenor Robert Stahley (Melot), known for “bringing vociferous ring to the tenor line,” (South Florida Classical Review), will appear in the 2022/23 season at Utah Opera, singing Erik in Der fliegende Holländer, Cavaradossi in Tosca with Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Froh in Das Rheingold with the Dallas Opera, Siegmund in Jonathan Dove’s reduction of Die Walküre with Opera Santa Barbara, Melot and the Young Sailor in Tristan und Isolde with the LA Phil, Leukippos in Daphne with the American Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, and Verdi’s Requiem with the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra. A recent graduate of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein young artist program at LA Opera, he performed Walther in Tannhäuser, Le Berger in Stravinsky’s Oedipus rex, Valcour in L’Amant Anonyme, First Armored Man in Barrie Kosky’s famed production of Die Zauberflöte, and Parpignol in the North American premiere of Barrie Kosky’s La bohème. In the 2021/22 season, Stahley performed Jupiter in Semele with Opera Santa Barbara, Narraboth in Salome with Bard Festival, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and a concert of opera favorites with Dayton Performing Arts.
In the 2021 festival season, Robert returned to the Santa Fe Opera as a second-year Apprentice, where he performed the role of The Captain in the world premiere of John Corigliano’s The Lord of Cries and was featured in concert with Grammy® Award-winning soprano Angel Blue. Recent engagements include the title role in The Tales of Hoffmann with Arbor Opera Theater, the tenor soloist in Verdi’s Requiem with the Quad-City Symphony, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Lynn Philharmonia. Other performances include William Marshall in Regina with Opera Theater of St. Louis, scenes as Lenny in Of Mice and Men and Bacchus in Ariadne auf Naxos with the St. Louis Symphony, and Pang in Turandot with the Kentucky Symphony. He also appeared as Trajan in a Workshop of Rufus Wainwright’s new opera Hadrian with the Canadian Opera Company. He has been a Studio Artist with Wolf Trap Opera where he covered the role of Rodolfo (La bohème) and Male Chorus (The Rape of Lucretia). Other significant roles include Candide (Candide) Idomeneo (Idomeneo), The Schoolmaster (The Cunning Little Vixen), Charlie (Mahagonny-Songspiel), The Lamplighter and Drunk (The Little Prince), Sam Kaplan (Street Scene), Rinuccio (Gianni Schicchi), and Hubert Humphrey (Dark River).
Equally comfortable on the concert stage, Stahley recently made his Indianapolis Symphony debut singing arias from operas such as Tosca and Die Zauberflöte. He has also been the tenor soloist for Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher, St. Matthew Passion with the Amherst Bach Festival, the tenor soloist in Schubert’s Mass No. 5 with the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music choirs, and appeared in several operatic scenes, such as Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor), Hoffmann (Les contes d’Hoffmann), The Duke (Rigoletto), and Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly).
Stahley won first prize in the 2019 Wagner Society of New York Competition, was a third-prize winner in the 2018 Gerda Lissner Vocal Competition, placed first in the 2017 Piccolo Vocal Competition, and was a finalist in the 2018 Mildred Miller Competition. He completed his Artist Diploma and Master’s degree at the College Conservatory of Music. He has bowed with opera companies such as Santa Fe Opera, Opera Theater of St. Louis, Wolf Trap Opera, Cincinnati Chamber Opera, Arbor Opera Theater, Palm Beach Opera, and Cincinnati Opera.