​Jake Skipworth,baritone

Jake Skipworth is a baritone with a powerful voice and a commanding stage presence. He was an apprentice artist at Sarasota Opera for four seasons, where he sang the Commissionario in La traviata and has covered numerous roles such as Fiorello in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Moralès in Carmen, Haly in L'Italiana in Algeri, Thierry in Dialogues des Carmélites, and Blind Man in Rootabaga Country. Recently, he covered Sharpless (Madama Butterfly), Baron Zeta (The Merry Widow), and the title role in Rigoletto at St. Petersburg Opera, and also sang Monterone in Rigoletto in the same production. He returns to St. Pete in March 2020 to sing David in A Hand of Bridge as well as Marcello in selections from La bohème.

 

In July 2020, Skipworth returns to Chautauqua Opera to cover Scarpia in Tosca, where he will sing Sacristan in the same production. He will also perform Chris the Citizen in The Mother of Us All in August. Previous contracts at Chautauqua include singing the Commissionario in La traviata, covering Pish-Tush in The Mikado, and performing in the musical theatre review, opera scenes, and other outreach projects. Prior to his work at Chautauqua, he sang Schaunard in La bohème with the Kent Philharmonic Orchestra and Zuniga in Carmen with Heartland Opera Theatre. He also performed as a young artist at Wichita Grand Opera, where he covered the Mandarin in Turandot and Rodrigo in Don Carlo, and sang Baron Grog in The Grand Duchess. Prior to his residency at Wichita Grand Opera, he spent the summer at the Chautauqua Institute, where he sang the Sergeant in the mainstage production of La bohème, Harlequin (Ariadne auf Naxos) in the scenes program, and studied with Marlena Malas. 

 

He completed his Master of Music in Opera Performance from Wichita State University, where he performed the role of Rucker Lattimore (Cold Sassy Tree), Leporello (Don Giovanni), Frank (Die Fledermaus), and Elder Ott (Susannah). He also won the 2015 WSU Concerto Competition, where he sang "Quand la flamme de l'amour" from Bizet's La Jolie Fille de Perth. While at Wichita State, he studied with Alan Held and coached with Samuel Ramey. Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Jake received his Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Oakland University, where he sang the roles of Don Alfonso (Cosi Fan Tutte) and Marco (Gianni Schicchi).

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