Praised for her “ripe mezzo of polished sheen and warmth,” mezzo-soprano Claire Shackleton is known for her colorful tone and magnetic stage presence. Passionate about early music, chamber and symphonic works, Claire’s upcoming season will feature performances of Manuel de Falla’s El sombrero de tres picos and Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and Handel’s Messiah with Highland Park Presbyterian Chorale.  Claire also looks forward to returning to the new chamber opera ballet company, Marigny Opera Ballet, in her first appearance as Dido in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas after her company debuts last season as Ioanna in Tchaikovsky’s Maid of Orleans and Banquo in the original production Tomorrow and Tomorrow. 

 

Recent seasons have featured  Beethoven’s Symphony no. 9 and Handel’s Messiah with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Vivaldi’s Gloria with the Crescent City Chamber Music Festival, Haydn’s Schöpfungsmesse with the Highlander Concert Series at the Dallas Moody Performance Hall, Bach’s Cantata BWV170 Vergnügte Ruh with New Resonance Orchestra. Recent appearances have also been with Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra in the Mozart Requiem, Opéra Louisiane as Julia Child in Bon Appétit, New Orleans Chamber Orchestra in Respighi’s Il Tramonto, Caldara’s solo cantata Medea in Corinto with New Orleans based early music chamber ensemble, Krewe de Voix, performances of Mahler and Monteverdi with the New Orleans Chamber Players, and with Opus Opera in Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater. 

 

Most notable operatic performances include Prince Charming in Cendrillon and Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro with Kentucky Opera, Hermia in Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Hawaii Opera Theatre, Dorabella in Così fan Tutte with Pine Mountain Music Festival,  Dinah in Trouble in Tahiti,  Mrs. Soames in Our Town, and Jade Boucher in Dead Man Walking with Central City Opera, and Siébel in Faust with Austin Lyric Opera. Operatic appearances have also been made with Glimmerglass Opera,   Des Moines Metro Opera,  New Orleans Opera Association,  Opera in the Heights,   Ohio Light Opera,   Pacific Opera Project, and Santa Fe Concert Association. 

 

Throughout her career, Ms. Shackleton has been excited to pursue the opportunity to perform new works for the stage and concert hall including the Kentucky Opera workshop of Ben Moore’s Enemies, A Love Story as Tamara, Logan Skelton’s Letters to Santa presented by Loyola University New Orleans, Stacy Garrop's work The Book of American Poetry Volume III with the Dallas Voices of Change New Music Ensemble, a setting of Rilke poetry by Tucker Fuller titled The Book of Hours with New Resonance Orchestra, and Book of Saints by Tucker Fuller with the Marigny Opera Ballet.

 

Claire Shackleton completed her Master of Music Degree at the College-Conservatory of Music. While at CCM, she enjoyed the opportunity to sing Der Komponist in Ariadne auf Naxos as well as performances of Ravel’s Shéhérazade and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. Ms. Shackleton completed her Bachelor of Music Degree at Loyola University New Orleans. She was also named Young Artist of the Year at Central City Opera, has received awards from the Shreveport Opera Singer of the Year Competition and the Franco-American Vocal Academy Grand Concours de Chant, and is a three-time Regional Finalist of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Awards. Ms. Shackleton is currently on the voice faculty of her alma mater Loyola University New Orleans.