Tenor Michael Deshield recently was recognized by the Wagner Society of New York as a Third Prize winner for their International Singers Competition as well as singing in the Semi-finals of the Butler Opera International Competition.

 

In the spring of 2026, Mr. Deshield will return to Sarasota Opera, covering the role of Manrico in Il trovatore where he previously covered Raffaele in Verdi’s Stiffelio, and will make his Madison Symphony Orchestra debut as the tenor soloist in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

 

In 2024, Mr. Deshield made his Des Moines Opera debut, singing the role of the Second Jew in Strauss’s Salome and covering Walter in Damien Geter and Lila Palmer’s American Apollo.

 

A graduate of the Jacobs School of Music, he performed the roles of Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, The Governor in Bernstein’s Candide and Nate in Still’s Highway 1, USA. He also made his debut at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra during their 2022 “Greetings from Japan” concert singing B.F. Pinkerton in Puccini's Madama Butterfly.

Mr. Deshield holds a Master’s of Music in Voice from Indiana University and a Bachelor’s of Music in Voice Performance from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania.