Dr. Schmidt holds a Doctor of Musical Art (D.M.A.) in Vocal Performance and Literature from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a Master of Music (M.M) from the University of Northern Colorado, and a Bachelor of Art in Music (B.A.) from Westmont College. His vocal teaching and performance experience encompasses classical, musical theater, and commercial vocal styles. His students have gone on to perform in national and international opera houses, on Broadway, and in national touring musical productions. Schmidt’s bass-baritone operatic repertoire includes roles such as, Figaro and Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro, Frank in Die Fledermaus, Dr. Grenvil in La Traviata. In 2005, he created the role of “Isaiah Bartlett” in the world premiere and recording of Where the Cross Is Made by Nancy Van de Vate. In 2011, he recorded the role of “Claudius” in Van de Vate’s setting of Shakespeare’s Hamlet in the Czech Republic with the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra. Both of these recordings are available on the Vienna Modern Masters label. In recent years he has been a frequent performer with Soo Opera in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and has been part of the teaching faculty for Soo Opera’s apprenticeship program. His solo concert and oratorio experience are as numerous and varied, including works by Haydn, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Williams, and Handel. He is also an active recitalist, with a particular affinity for British and American song literature of the 20th and 21st century.
