Mexican-American baritone Armando Contreras, First Prize winner of the Naftzger Vocal Competition and Encouragement Award District Winner of the 2018 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions is currently a Young Artist with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City. Recently, Armando portrayed the role of Filippo in the US professional premiere of Rossini’s La Gazzetta with Pacific Opera Project in Los Angeles. He was seen a young artist with Central City Opera and performed the role of Dancairo in Carmen. In the 2017/2018, Mr. Contreras makes his debut as The Herald in Rigoletto and Fiorello in Il barbiere di Siviglia with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City and as Peter in Hänsel und Gretel and L’horloge comtoise/Le chat in L’enfant et les sortilèges with University of Missouri-Kansas City. He also covered the role of Doug Hansen in Joby Talbot’s Everest in the Lyric Opera of Kansas City premiere directed by the prominent director, Leonard Foglia.
Recent engagements during the 2016/2017 season included the title role in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and 2nd Prison Guard in Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking at the Lyric Opera of Kansas City. He also appeared as a soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the Missouri Oratorio Society and as Peter McCourt in Ballad of Baby Doe with Central City Opera.
In prior seasons, Mr. Contreras appeared as Papageno (Die Zauberflöte), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), Paris (Roméo et Juliette), John Brooke (Little Women), Brother (The Seven Deadly Sins), and Il Conte (Il matrimonio segreto). Additionally, he received the Top Prize after completion of the Central City Young Artist Program. Other accolades include 2016 winner of the University of Missouri-Kansas City Concerto competition, 2016 winner of the Celestial Opera Young Artist Award, 2016 winner of the Brena Hazzard Vocal Competition and 2016 winner of the Mu Phi Epsilon Music Competition.
Mr. Contreras has received degrees at the Cleveland Institute of Music and the University of Missouri- Kansas City. He has been a member of prestigious young artist training programs including The Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Central City Opera, and the Aspen Music Festival. Mr. Contreras studies under renowned opera singer, Vinson Cole.