Education

• D.M.A., Doctor of Musical Arts, Louisiana State University, 2023
• Master of Music, University of Michigan
• Bachelor of Music, Oberlin Conservatory of Music

Biography

A 2018 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions winner, tenor Carlos Enrique Santelli graduated from Los Angeles Opera’s Domingo-Colburn-Stein young artist program. He has performed with the Houston Grand Opera as Pong and Tybalt in “Turandot” and “Roméo et Juliette”, San Diego Opera as the Count Almaviva in “Il barbiere di Siviglia”, and Santa Fe Opera as Arturo in “Lucia di Lammermoor”. Other role credits have included Valcour in Minnesota Opera’s production of “L’Amant Anonyme”, Don Ramiro in Dayton Opera’s “La Cenerentola”, Nemorino in Virginia Opera’s “L’Elisir d’Amore”, and Tonio in Opera Orlando’s La Fille du Régiment among many others.

In the 2020-21 season,  Santelli made his San Diego Opera debut as Almaviva in “Il barbiere di Siviglia”. In the 2019-20 season, he returned to Dayton opera as Ramiro in La cenerentola. He performed a joint recital on the concert stage with his wife, mezzo-soprano Ashley Dixon. In the 2018-2019 season, Santelli made his Dayton Opera debut as Count Almaviva in “The Barber of Seville” and performed as tenor soloist in Mendelssohn’s “Die Erste Walpurgisnacht” with the Sacramento Choral Society.

Recent projects with LA Opera include performances in “Salome”, conducted by James Conlon, and “Wonderful Town”, conducted by Grant Gershon. Additionally, Santelli appeared as a guest soloist in a special gala celebrating the 10th anniversary of LA Opera’s Domingo- Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program. Further collaborations on the West Coast include numerous projects with LA Opera’s Artist-in-Residence Matthew Aucoin.

In the summers of 2016 and 2017, Santelli was a member of Santa Fe Opera’s distinguished Apprentice Artist Program. He worked with noted conductors such as Harry Bicket, Emmanuel Villaume and Corrado Rovaris. The summer of 2017 was a particularly notable season for Santelli as he made his principal role debut with the company as Arturo in a new production of “Lucia di Lammermoor”. His scene work there included Nemorino in “L’elisir d’amore” and Arnold in “Guillaume Tell”.

Carlos Enrique Santelli’s concert engagements have included appearances as the tenor soloist in Handel’s “Messiah” with the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra, Mozart’s “Coronation Mass” with the Rochester Symphony Orchestra, and Mozart’s “Requiem” with the University of Michigan/Yale Alumni Glee Club.

Santelli completed his Bachelor of Music at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and his Master of Music at the University of Michigan. He will complete his Doctorate of Musical Arts at Louisiana State University with a minor in voice pedagogy this summer. He also maintains an active performing career on the operatic and concert stage. He is a first-generation Venezuelan-American and a native of Orlando, Florida.