Mezzo Soprano Kathleen Shelton is thrilled to be debuting Nicklausse / the Muse in St. Petersburg Opera’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann. Her last season was filled with tackling new roles. She performed Suzuki in North Shore Music Festival’s Madame Butterfly, where she received praise for her commitment to character portrayal and expressiveness. Ms Shelton covered Mrs. Sedley (Peter Grimes) with The Princeton Festival and performed Maddalena (Rigoletto) with Western Plains Opera and Amore Opera where she was described as “sexy, seductive, and a pleasure to hear” (Taminophile).
As a Studio Artist with Sarasota Opera, she was called “a natural on stage, with perfect facial expressions…knowing the role inside and out” (OperaPronto) of her performance as Dorabella in Così fan tutte.
Ms. Shelton currently resides in New Jersey, where she sang with The Light Opera of New Jersey as Tessa (The Gondoliers) and attended CoOPERA-tive. For two summers she was a Young Artist with the Natchez Festival of Music, performing in Carmen, La Bohème, and singing the Housekeeper and covering Aldonza (Man of La Mancha). She concertizes frequently with The Garden State Philharmonic, Florham Opera, and The Armenian Presbyterian Church.
Some previous roles include: Zita (Gianni Schicchi) with Mississippi Opera; Mrs. Lovett (Sweeney Todd); Marmee (Little Women); Miss Todd (The Old Maid & the Thief); Ado Annie (Oklahoma); and Hansel (Hansel & Gretl). Concert credits include: Bach Christmas Oratorio, Handel Messiah, Vivaldi Gloria, and Mozart Vespers.
A native of Cleburne, TX, she holds a Master of Music degree from Florida State University (go, ‘noles) and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Texas.
TALES OF HOFFMANN – NICKLAUSSE / THE MUSE