Jonathan L Stinson

Style: Opera; Classical; Musical Theatre

Title: Teaching Assistant Professor of Voice and Director of Opera

Bio:

Baritone Jonathan Stinson has appeared with opera companies throughout the US and Europe, including appearances as Schaunard in La bohème at Lyric Opera of Kansas City, the 2nd Cardinal/2nd Oracle in Philip Glass' Galileo Galilei and Barone Douphol in La traviata with Cincinnati Opera, Lescaut in Manon Lescaut for The Cleveland Opera, Slim in Of Mice and Men and Peter in Hansel und Gretel at Kentucky Opera, Il conte Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro with Arbor Opera Theatre, Joseph de Rocher in Dead Man Walking for Boston Opera Collaborative, and Antonio in Le nozze di Figaro for Opera Omaha. Abroad, he has sung Guglielmo in Così fan tutte and the title role of Gianni Schicchi in Varna, Bulgaria, the title role of Rigoletto in Manchester, UK, and the title role of Don Giovanni in Cortona, Italy. This season, Dr. Stinson will sing Dulcamara in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’more for both the Southern Illinois Music Festival and Ozarks Lyric Opera. He will also direct four productions: his own opera The Three Bears and Rossini’s La cambiale di matrimonio at the University of Arkansas, and his other opera Knightly News and Michael Ching’s Speed Dating Tonight! for Delaware Valley Opera. In addition to directing the productions, Dr. Stinson will sing the role of Tobias Mill in La cambiale di matrimonio, as well as the baritone roles in The Three Bears and Knightly News. Dr. Stinson enjoyed a busy 2023-2024 season, singing the roles Lescaut in Puccini’s Manon Lescaut for Winter Opera St. Louis, Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro for the Southern Illinois Music Festival, Don Magnifico in La cenerentola in Asiago, Italy as a guest artist with Varna International, and Olin Blitch at Delaware Valley Opera. The season’s concert work included appearances with the Arkansas Philharmonic Orchestra as the Reciter in William Walton’s Façade and as a soloist in Bach’s Johannes-Passion with TACTUS chamber ensemble in Oklahoma City. Recent seasons have included Marcello in La bohème, The Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance, and Monterone in Rigoletto for Delaware Valley Opera, and Leporello in Don Giovanni for Ozarks Lyric Opera. Recent concert work includes baritone soloist in Carmina Burana with the NWA Ballet, “Der Klang der Offenbarung des Göttlichen” by Icelandic composer Kjartan Sveinsson with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic Orchestra, bass soloist in Messiah for TACTUS Ensemble and bass solos in Bach’s B Minor Mass with Music Worcester (MA). In 2023, he gave a recital on the Belvedere Series in Richmond, VA, which included the world premiere of his own 45-minute monodrama, Uncivil Relief. In 2020, he was scheduled to sing Dandini in La cenerentola at Salt Marsh Opera, the Four Villains in Les contes d'Hoffmann and Falke in Die Fledermaus at the Stara Zagora Opera House in Bulgaria, and the solos in Bach's B Minor Mass with Connecticut Choral Artists, but these engagements were canceled due to Covid-19. An advocate for new music, Dr. Stinson has workshopped leading roles in operas by Tom Cipullo, Anthony Davis, Douglas Cuomo, Patrick Soluri, and Elizabeth Kelly. As a composer, Jonathan has written two one-act children’s operas (The Three Bears and Knightly News), two operatic vignettes, seven song cycles, a monodrama, and several choral works. In 2015, his church anthem "Beloved" won the Grand Prize of the International Anthem Competition held by First Baptist Church in Worcester, MA. His children’s operas have been toured by Atlanta Opera, Opera Memphis, Seagle Music Colony, Sanford Opera, Reach Out Kansas, and Chicago Opera Playhouse, and have been performed at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, the University of Arkansas, and Lougheed-Kofoed Festival of the Arts (NY). In 2025, Concordia College (MN) will premiere the orchestration of The Three Bears.

Dr. Stinson is a past Regional Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and received the “Bel Canto Award” at the Orpheus National Voice Competition. Jonathan holds voice performance degrees from Oberlin Conservatory, Indiana University, and University of Cincinnati–College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). Dr. Stinson has previously served on the voice faculties of the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, Edge Hill University (UK), and Northern Kentucky University. He is currently a voice professor and Director of Opera Theatre at the University of Arkansas. Dr. Stinson is represented by MIA Artists Management.

Voice Type: Baritone

Music Styles Taught: Opera; Classical; Musical Theatre

Availability: I am available as a performer; I am currently accepting private students; I am available as a clinician or presenter; I accept students through a college or university program

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