Robert Stafford

Bass-Baritone

Robert Stafford is a San Francisco native who sang his first operatic lead role at age 12 in Gian Carlo Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors. After studying music synthesis, music production, and jazz piano at the Berklee College of Music, he received his Bachelor of Music degree from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Vocal Performance. Returning to California, he sang leading bass-baritone roles at Opera San José, West Bay Opera, Pocket Opera, Pacific Repertory Opera and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he completed his Master of Music degree.

A love of 18th Century music has since led him to sing concert solos with some of the country’s leading Baroque orchestras, including the American Bach Soloists, Apollo’s Fire, Musica Angelica, and Magnificat. In December 2009, Robby directed and sang in a rare performance of Guillaume de Machaut’s Messe de Nostre Dame at Notre Dame des Victoires in San Francisco with his Medieval vocal ensemble Hocket.

Other recent engagements have included the title role in Don Pasquale with Sonoma City Opera, Jupiter in Rameau’s Castor et Pollux with L’Opéra Français de New York, and Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro with Livermore Valley Opera. In April 2010, he returned to both the SF Conservatory, to sing Nick Shadow in their production of The Rake’s Progress, and to Magnificat, for their performances of Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers.

background photo by Nika Korniyenko