Athlone Artists is pleased to welcome to its roster Cameron Schutza, a tenor with an “expressive spinto voice” (Opera Warhorses) who is celebrated for his “clarity of tone, ringing high notes and clear German diction” (Opera Magazine).
Mr. Schutza recently performed in Baltimore Concert Opera’s Madama Butterfly, about which the Maryland Theatre Guide stated, “Cameron Schutza as B. F. Pinkerton navigates the demanding role with professional aplomb. In his opening arias, he quickly establishes himself as a quintessential tenor, able to control the signature high notes of the role with color and nuance…he was outstanding.”
Earlier this season, Mr. Schutza was lauded for his company and role debut as Chairman Mao in the Princeton Festival’s production of Adams’ Nixon in China, with Bachtrack saying, “Cameron Schutza is the Heldentenor Adams imagined for Chairman Mao, a big voice with a ringing top,” and Parterre Box admiring the tenor’s “freaky tessitura” and “unearthly beauty.” He performed excerpts from the title role of Siegfried for The Metropolitan Opera Guild’s Wagner Ring Showcase at Lincoln Center’s Bruno Walter Auditorium, and was a soloist for the Lorin Maazel in Memoriam Concert with the Castleton Festival. In May 2020 he performs as soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9with the Austin Symphony Orchestra.
Cameron found his way to Miguel Rodriguez and Athlone Artists through friends and colleagues already on the Athlone roster. “It is so important to have someone out there as your advocate,” says Cameron. “It’s a great benefit to have someone like Miguel – who has been recognized for his great success both as a singer and an administrator – as my advocate in this business. I’m looking forward to this partnership.”
“Heldentenors are a rare find,” says Miguel Rodriguez. “So when I was introduced to Mr. Schutza, I made a point to listen. What I heard from him was a clarion-like tenor voice, with ringing high notes and a remarkable, radiant beauty. I’m excited to work with Cameron as he enters and maneuvers through the challenges and rewards of a heldentenor’s career.”
Recent highlights for the tenor include his debut as Pollione in Norma with both Sarasota Opera and Opera in the Heights, and the role of Narraboth in Salome with the Orquesta Sinfònica Nacional at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City with Carlos Prieto conducting. He has sung the role of Manrico in Il Trovatore with both Portland Summerfest and the Astoria Music Festival alongside soprano Angela Meade and Don José in Carmen with the Walla Walla Symphony. He performed the role of First Prisoner in Fidelio at the Caramoor International Music Festival, where he also covered the roles of Florestan, Danieli in Les vêpres Siciliennes, Rustighello in Lucrezia Borgia, the title role of Don Carlos and the Duca in Rigoletto.
Mr. Schutza joined the Metropolitan Opera roster for its productions of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Tannhäuser, and Salome. His other credits include Jaquino in Fidelio with Michigan Opera Theatre and, on the concert stage, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony at Carnegie Hall, Verdi’s Requiem with Houston Masterworks, and Mozart’s Requiem with the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic. He has sung in recital with Rockport Music in a program celebrating 150 years of Strauss with soprano Elizabeth Blancke-Biggs and performed concert arias with the New Jersey Festival Orchestra.
The Texas native is an alumnus of the young artist programs of Santa Fe Opera, Arizona Opera and Palm Beach Opera. A 2016 recipient of the top prize Robert Lauch Memorial Fund Endowment Award from the Wagner Society of New York, Schutza has also been a two-time winner of the Arizona District of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and was awarded third place in the 2017 Lauritz Melchior International Singing Competition in Denmark for his interpretation of Wagner’s heroic tenor leads with the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra.
