Baritone Jacob O’Shea is a rising young artist whose performances have been deemed, “visually and vocally [commanding]” (Boston Musical Intelligencer). In the 2023/2024 season, O’Shea completed his second year as a Bailey Apprentice Artist at Palm Beach Opera and was an Apprentice Artist at Des Moines Metro Opera. This fall, he will be performing with Cambridge Chamber Ensemble as Death’s Lackey in the US stage debut performance of Menotti’s opera. 

Equally at home in standard repertoire and new works, role highlights include Dr Gibbs (Our Town), Guglielmo (Così fan tutte), Colline (La bohème), The Sodbuster (Proving Up), and Paul (If I Were You). 

O’Shea has been seen as an emerging artist at some of the top programs in the country, including Palm Beach Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Central City Opera, Boston University Opera Institute, and the Seagle Festival. He has also worked with Opera in the Pines and Syracuse Opera. 

Offstage, O’Shea finds solace in the art of embroidery, a creative outlet that complements his musical pursuits, allowing time to explore various unique forms of artistic expression.

Hailing from Albany, New York, O’Shea completed his BM in Vocal Performance from Syracuse University and his MM in Vocal Performance from Boston University. He is currently under the tutelage of Bill McGraw.