| Rocky E. Sellers |
| Bass-baritone |
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| Praised by the New
York Observer as a "vibrant, booming bass" and "Robust baritone” by New York
Classical Review, Bass-Baritone Rocky Eugenio Sellers is excited to
make his principal debut in the 2022-23 with the Metropolitan Opera in their
production of Fire Shut Up In My Bones as Adult Robert and covering the role
of The Undertaker in Porgy and Bess. He also looks forward to joining the
company for their productions of Don Carlos, Die Meistersinger, Mahler’s
Resurrection Symphony and Verdi’s Requiem. Additionally, he makes his house
debut covering Adult Robert in Fire Shut Up In My Bones at Lyric Opera of
Chicago and, another house and role, debut with Opera Memphis as Don Alfonso
in Cosi fan tutte. As well as joining readings for new operas such as The
Conductor/Devil in That Hell-Bound Train by Lisa DeSpain and Winters in Watch
Night by Tamar-Kali Brown. Other recent performances include his appearance as a featured soloist, Crap Shooter #4, on the Metropolitan Opera’s Grammy Award winning production of Porgy and Bess, his Tokyo debut with The Japan Society of NYC and the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan as Male Chorus III in the premiere of Four Nights of Dream, and his New York City Opera debut as Valarie in Iain Bell’s Stonewall. Additionally, he joined The Keene Chorale and Bennington Choral Society as the Bass Soloist in Verdi’s Requiem; Portland Opera as cover for Joe in Showboat and Dr. Dulcamara in the Elixir of Love with Portland Opera To Go!; Pacific Opera Project as Dulcamara in Elixir of Love; Utopia Opera as Gremin in Eugene Onegin; Natchez Festival of Music as Joe in Show Boat, Sparafucile in Rigoletto, and Zuniga in Carmen; Manhattan Opera Studio, as a Guest Artist, to sing Dr. Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro, Sarastro in die Zauberflöte, and Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni; Opera Ebony as Baku in Imoinda; Dell'Arte Opera Ensemble as Banquo in MacBeth; Delaware Valley Opera Company as Don Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia; and, Regina Opera as Sparafucile in Rigoletto. Additionally, Mr. Sellers has been seen as a Young Artist at various acclaimed opera houses such as: Santa Fe Opera, Opera Saratoga, Sarasota Opera, Opera Naples and Opera on the James. With Santa Fe Opera he covered Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro and Detective Kearly in the World Premiere of Theodore Morrison’s Oscar, sang Mícha in The Bartered Bride and Pistola in Falstaff for the Apprentice Artists Scenes Concert. As a Tyler Opera Young Artist at Opera on the James, he was seen as Pistola in Falstaff and Big Bully in Bye Bye Bully. While at Saratoga Opera, he covered Monterone in Rigoletto and sang Hawker in the Mighty Casey. On the concert stage, Mr. Sellers has presented a plethora of works as the Bass Soloist with notable orchestras including Verdi’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Rossini’s Stabat Mater and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. He has also presented concerts with the Kennett Symphony, the American Spiritual Ensemble, the Wagner Society of Cincinnati where he presented the Wagnerian repertoire, and Penn Square Music Festival for their Lift Every Voice and Sing concert presentation of spiritual and African American art songs. Mr. Sellers has received awards from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Mendelssohn Club of Albany, Anna Sosenko Assist Trust, Kennett Symphony Voice Competition, Dell'Arte Opera, Opera Birmingham Voice Competition, and the American Prize Competition in Vocal Performance. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He currently studies with Brian Montgomery and Mark Oswald. 3/22 |