Quinn Kelsey began in opera in 1991 as a chorus member with the Hawaii Opera Theatre. For the Hawaii native, the last 30 years have taken him many places and have put him on many different stages in the U.S. and abroad.

The baritone holds a Bachelor's of Music degree in Performance from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa.

Kelsey’s list of programs and study include the Chautauqua Institute with Marlena Malas, San Francisco’s Merola Opera Program under Sherri Greenwald and Mark Morash, and three years at Chicago’s Lyric Opera Center for American Artists, now known as the Ryan Opera Center. And for two seasons, Kelsey was accepted to the roster of the Marilyn Horne Foundation.

Late in 2022, Kelsey returned to the Metropolitan Opera for RIGOLETTO and AIDA. RIGOLETTO cast included soprano Rosa Feola, mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina, tenor Benjamin Bernheim in his Met debut, and bass John Relyea conducted by Speranza Scappucci. AIDA cast included sopranos Latonia Moore and Michelle Bradley, tenors Brian Jagde and Limmie Pulliam, mezzo-sopranos Anita Rachvelishvili and Olesya Petrova, and bass-baritone Christian Van Horn, conducted by Paolo Carignani.

This spring, Kelsey debuts the lead in Verdi's MACBETH with the Canadian Opera Company with sopranos Alexandrina Pendatchanska and Liudmyla Monastyrska, tenor Matthew Cairns, and bass Önay Köse, conducted by Speranza Scappucci, as well as a return to the Met for LA BOHÈME at the end of the season.

In mid June, Kelsey is anticipating a long-awaited debut as the baritone soloist in Brahms' EIN DEUTSCHES REQUIEM with soprano Nadine Sierra, conducter Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.

The fall season begins promptly at Opera Philadelphia with another Verdi debut. Kelsey welcomes SIMON BOCCANEGRA to his repertoire with performances in late September, joined by soprano Ana María Martínez, tenor Richard Trey Smagur, and bass-baritone Christian Van Horn, with Corrado Rovaris at the podium.

On the heels of SIMON, the baritone will add yet another new Verdi to the list. Performances of UN BALLO IN MASCHERA at the Metropolitan Opera commence in late October and run through mid November. Kelsey joins soprano Elena Stikhina, mezzo-soprano Olesya Petrova, and tenor Charles Castronovo in his role debut! Carlo Rizzi conducts the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.

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