Charles Eaton

American baritone Charles H. Eaton makes role and company debuts as Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia with NYC Opera in Bryant Park, William Dale in Silent Night with Minnesota Opera, and Vitellius in Hérodiade with New Amsterdam Opera in the 2018-2019 season. In February, he returns to Madison Opera as Carl-Magnus in their A Little Night Music and to Minnesota Opera in March to create the roles of Arnold Rothstein and George Gorman in the world premiere of Joel Puckett's The Fix. In the 2017-2018 season, Mr. Eaton made multiple company debuts, including German Sentry/Soldier #3 in Silent Night with The Glimmerglass Festival as a member of the young artist program, Samuel in The Pirates of Penzance with Park Square Theater, and Moralès in Carmen with Madison Opera. He also made his concert debut with The Mankato Symphony Orchestra as Riff in West Side Story.

In May of 2017, Charles completed a second year as a resident artist with Opera Colorado, where he performed Figaro in the touring production of The Barber of Seville, Bello in La fanciulla del West and Enrico in the student matinee of Lucia di Lammermoor. In the previous season, he sang the Father in the touring production of Hansel and Gretel and Governor Bellingham in the student matinee of the world premiere of The Scarlet Letter. He returned to Des Moines Metro Opera in 2017 for a second summer as an apprentice, where he sang Mr. Linquist and covered Carl-Magnus in A Little Night Music. In their 2015 season, he covered Lescaut in Manon and participated in the ensemble of Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice.

Mr. Eaton has extensive experience with new American works; he participated in multiple workshops (various roles) for The Fix at Minnesota Opera, and in their Act I workshop for The Shining (premiered 2016), where he prepared the role of Horace Derwent. In May of 2014, he shared the lead baritone role (Hurstwood) in a workshop performance of Sister Carrie at Florentine Opera (premiered 2016).

In the summer of 2014, Charles sang Belcore (L’elisir d’amore) with La Musica Lirica (Novafeltria, Italy)- he returned for a second season in 2015 to perform the role of Taddeo in L’italiana in Algeri as well as Il Notario in Gianni Schicchi. That June, he performed the role of Perichaud and covered Rambaldo (La Rondine) with Skylark Opera in St. Paul, MN.

Mr. Eaton received his Bachelor of Music degree in 2013 from the University of Connecticut where he sang Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Thomas Putnam in The Crucible and more. In the summer of 2013, he performed the role of John Brooke (Little Women) with the Hartford Opera Theater. He received his Master of Music from the University of Minnesota where credits included Conte Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, the Forrester in The Cunning Little Vixen and Masetto in Don Giovanni. In his second year of studies, he was a participant of the ECCO Program, which facilitated hours of coaching and exchange between promising young artists in the School of Music and the music staff at Minnesota Opera.

Charles was the first place winner of the 2015 Thursday Musical competition in Minneapolis, MN, and a district winner of the Metropolitan Opera competition.