BIOGRAPHY
Tenor Stuart Skelton is one of the finest heldentenors on the stage today, critically acclaimed for his outstanding musicianship, tonal beauty, and intensely dramatic portrayals. He collaborates regularly with the world’s leading conductors and directors including Marin Alsop, Edward Gardner, Philippe Jordan, Fabio Luisi, Kent Nagano, Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Donald Runnicles, and Simone Young.
The array of engagements during the 2026-27 season reflect the tenor’s dynamic standing, and highlights of his busy diary include Tristan und Isolde with Jaap van Zweden leading the Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with Edward Gardner and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with Jessica Cottis conducting the Gävle Symphony Orchestra, and the role of Florestan in Fidelio with Music Director Michael Francis and the Florida Orchestra.
Richard Wagner’s music took center stage in the tenor’s diary of the 2025–26 season. Stuart Skelton made his debut with the Korean National Opera in a new production of Tristan und Isolde, conducted by long-time collaborator Jaap van Zweden, and the Australian tenor returned to the Metropolitan Opera in the company’s new production of Tristan und Isolde staged by Yuval Sharon, led by Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and paired with Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen. Other highlights included the First Act of Die Walküre with the Gulbenkian Orchestra under Hannu Lintu, the Second Act of Tristan und Isolde with the Houston Symphony and Juraj Valčuha, and a Wagner Gala with soprano Nina Stemme and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra conducted by Eva Ollikainen.
Stuart Skelton gave critically acclaimed performances of Tristan und Isolde in semi-staged performances in 2024-25 with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra, as well as concert performances of Parsifal and Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with Marek Janowski leading the NHK Symphony Orchestra. Highlights of the season also included Die Walküre with the Sydney Symphony, the First Act of Die Walküre at Teatro Comunale Bologna, the Second Act of Tristan und Isolde with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the NHK Symphony Orchestra, and Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg.
