Baritone Shea Owens was recently a guest soloist with the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square for its "Love Thy Neighbor” special event. He was also recently a member of the soloist ensemble at Theater St. Gallen in Switzerland, where his roles included Belcore in L’elisir d’amore, Marcello in La bohème, Valentin in Faust, and Alvaro in Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas, among others.

 

Mr. Owens is now the Director of Opera at Brigham Young University and recently sang his first performances of the title role of Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the university’s choirs at the Cathedral of the Madeleine. This past season he returned to Utah Opera as Samuel in Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance after previously joining the company as a member of its Resident Artist Program. Along with traditional operatic and concert work, he especially enjoys the challenge and novelty of interpreting the works of contemporary composers and has sung Charlie in Jake Heggie’s Three Decembers alongside legendary mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade. He also recently recorded an album with his wife, soprano Madison Leonard, and pianist Artem Belogurov titled To the Thawing Wind: Songs of Paul Edward Gay.

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Upcoming engagements include Carmina burana with Konzert und Theater St. Gallen in Switzerland, a multimedia chamber opera by BYU colleague Steven Ricks titled Baucis and Philemon, and the role of The Pilot in Utah Opera's upcoming production of The Little Prince.