Acclaimed for his “handsomely sung performances” and “engaging presence on stage” (The Baltimore Sun), baritone Cory Schantz captivates audience with a voice of uncommon beauty and his honest characterizations. Most recently, he debuted with Opera Birmingham as Lord Capulet in Roméo et Juliette, made his role and house debut as Amonasro in Spotlight on Opera’s gala concert of Aida, and made his Carnegie Hall debut as the baritone soloist in Handel’s Messiah. Upcoming engagements include the baritone solos in Mack Wilberg’s Requiem and Orff’s Carmina Burana with the Georgia Tech Symphony, after which he will return to Opera Birmingham as Pandolfe in Massenet’s masterpiece, Cendrillon.

Mr. Schantz frequently appears on the stage of The Atlanta Opera, most recently as Le Duc in Roméo et Juliette, Count Ceprano in Rigoletto, and Wagner in Faust.  He portrayed Prison Guard 1 in Tulsa Opera’s stirring production of Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking, a performance hailed by critics as the finest production by the company in a decade. He has portrayed Giorgio Germont (La Traviata), with Winter Opera of St. Louis and Rimrock Opera in Montana, Sharpless (Madama Butterfly) with Springfield Regional Opera and First Coast Opera, and has performed other principal roles with Wichita Grand Opera and Union Avenue Opera.

An active recitalist and interpreter of oratorio, Mr. Schantz is a frequently interpreter of Messiah and has performed the work with the Spartanburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Enid Symphony Orchestra, Billings Messiah Festival, and Brazos Chamber Orchestra. Other favorite works include the requiems of Mozart, Brahms, and Fauré.

Mr. Schantz is a student of Dominic Cossa and has studied extensively with Marilyn Horne. An active teacher, he has served on the voice faculties at Ouachita Baptist University, Oklahoma State University, and South Dakota State University. He is currently on the voice faculty of Reinhardt University in Waleska, Georgia, and Spotlight on Opera.