Chad Shelton (born 1970 in Orange, Texas) is an American operatic tenor. Particularly associated with the Houston Grand Opera (HGO), Shelton has excelled in performances of contemporary American operas and in the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Giuseppe Verdi. He has appeared in numerous world premieres with the HGO including Laurie in Mark Adamo's Little Women (1998), Nico in Adamo's Lysistrata (2005), and Ulises in Daniel Catán's Salsipuedes: a Tale of Love, War and Anchovies (2004) among others. He also sang the role of Brigadier General Edward Porter Alexander in the world premiere of Philip Glass's Appomattox at the San Francisco Opera (2007).
Shelton has appeared with numerous opera companies throughout the United States, Europe, and in Australia. His signature roles include Laurie, Ferrando in Mozart's Così fan tutte, Tamino in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, Don Jose in Georges Bizet's Carmen, Alfredo in Verdi's La traviata, and more recently the Duke of Mantua in Verdi's Rigoletto. He has made a number of recordings with the Minnesota Orchestra and performed with numerous orchestras throughout the United States.
Education and early career
Shelton studied voice with Robert Grayson at Louisiana State University and then at Yale University on the graduate level. He made his professional opera debut in 1994 while still at LSU as Tamino in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Die Zauberflöte with Baton Rouge Opera. That same year he played the roles of Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance, the Second Composer in The Great Waltz and the Second Waiter in Giuditta with Ohio Light Opera. In 1995 he sang the role of Dino in the world premiere of George Chadwick's The Padrone with the Waterbury Symphony at the Thomaston Opera House.
In 1997 Shelton sang the role of Alfredo in Yale University's production of Giuseppe Verdi's La traviata. That same year he was awarded a Richard F. Gold Career Grant by the Shoshana Foundation and became a member of the Young Artist Program at the Central City Opera where he debuted in the role of Hayes in Carlisle Floyd's Susannah. He returned there in 1998 to sing the roles of Reverend Paris in Robert Ward's The Crucible and Cavaradossi in Tosca. He joined the Wolf Trap Opera Company's Young Artist Program for the Summer of 1999, performing there in the roles of Tom Rakewell in The Rake's Progress, the High priest of Neptune in Idomeneo, and Monostatos in The Magic Flute. That same year he sang the role of Laërte in Ambroise Thomas's Hamlet with Washington Concert Opera. In 2000 he was awarded a Richard Tucker Career Grant.
Career
Houston Grand Opera
In 1998 Shelton became a member of the Young Artist Program at the Houston Grand Opera, remaining in the program through 2000. He made his debut with the company as Malcolm in the 1998 production of Verdi's Macbeth. During his first season with the company he portrayed Count Elemer in Richard Strauss's Arabella with Renée Fleming in the title role, and he was a last minute replacement of an ailing Peter Kazaras as Captain Vere in Billy Budd. He also notably portrayed Laurie in the world premiere of Mark Adamo's Little Women alongside Stephanie Novacek as Jo and Joyce DiDonato as Meg. Shelton reprised the role in 2001 at the HGO in a performance that was recorded live for broadcast on PBS's Great Performances and for commercial release on DVD and CD. He has since performed the role of Laurie numerous times, including productions with the Central City Opera (2001), Opera Omaha (2002), Chautauqua Opera (2002), and New York City Opera (2003).
Shelton's career has continued to be largely based at the HGO, although he often performs with other companies throughout the United States and Europe. Other notable roles with the company include Pinkerton in Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly (1999), both Nereo and Wagner in Boito's Mefistofele (1999), Nemorino in Gaetano Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore (2000), Ferrando in Mozart's Così fan tutte (2001), Arcadio in Daniel Catán's Florencia en el Amazonas (2001), Janek in Leoš Janáček's The Makropolous Case (2002), Camille de Rosillon in Franz Lehár's The Merry Widow (2003), Tamino in Mozart's The Magic Flute (2004), and Don Jose in Georges Bizet's Carmen (2006). He has also sung roles in several more world premieres at the HGO, including Prisoner No. 1 in Tod Machover's Resurrection (1999), Ulises in Catán's Salsipuedes: a Tale of Love, War and Anchovies (2004) and Nico in Adamo's Lysistrata (2005).
Shelton wed Ana María Martínez in 2000, while working at HGO. They divorced in 2007 and have a son, Lucas, together.