M I C H A E L J B O L T O N
UNIQUE PROGRAMS TO ENRICH THE AUDIENCE EXPERIENCE
M Y S T O R Y
My life took a transformative turn in my late teens, shaped by a series of pivotal experiences. I was first captivated by the Queen of the Night aria in the film Amadeus (1984), followed by the spine-tingling beauty of Puccini’s arias in A Room with a View (1985). An opera assembly at my high school left me breathless once again, and a Metropolitan Opera telecast of Le nozze di Figaro (1985) solidified my enduring love of opera.
In 1987, I attended my first live opera at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia—Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov, starring Paata Burchuladze and Mignon Dunn. Little did I know that 20 years later, I would find myself speaking to audiences of 500 in that very space, or that over 65,000 people would hear my lectures on opera and vocal music in Philadelphia, New York, Cincinnati, and beyond.
In the interim, I pursued a vocal performance major at Temple University, became a classical music buyer for Tower Records at three Philadelphia-area stores, and worked in radio for over a decade. Currently, I host Saturday Morning Classics on WRTI 90.1 FM in Philadelphia.
In 2001, I joined the staff at Opera Philadelphia, initially managing a telemarketing campaign. Over time, I took on numerous roles, eventually serving on the executive team as head of the community initiatives department. During this time, I developed a variety of impactful programs, including 80 flash mob performances as part of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation’s Random Acts of Culture initiative. One of the most notable events I produced involved managing 750 singers for a surprise performance of Handel’s “Hallelujah” chorus from Handel's Messiah at Macy's in Philadelphia, accompanied by the iconic Wanamaker Organ. The success of this event led to an encore performance at Macy’s annual corporate conference at Madison Square Garden.
Among all the projects I spearheaded, the one closest to my heart was Hip H’opera, a collaboration with Tarana Burke and Valerie Gay at Art Sanctuary. This afterschool program empowered students from four Philadelphia schools to express themselves through various artistic media, culminating in the creation of a new opera, We Shall Not Be Moved, composed by Daniel Bernard Roumain, with a libretto by Marc Bamuthi Joseph and directed by Bill T. Jones
Currently, I serve as the Executive Director of the International Friends of Festival Verdi, where I also produce and host the podcasts Front Row Center and The Verdi Project. In this role, I work to enhance the visibility of Verdi's operas and engage our community of opera enthusiasts. Additionally, I am the host of Arizona PBS's broadcasts of The Phoenix Symphony, where I strive to bring classical music to a wider audience and share the rich narratives behind the performances.
My love of opera naturally led me to lecturing at Opera Philadelphia, and I have since been privileged to speak before a range of distinguished organizations, including the African American Museum in Philadelphia, Cincinnati Opera, the Curtis Institute of Music, The Metropolitan Opera Guild, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and the University of Pennsylvania, among others. I've even lectured in Milan and Venice for productions at La Scala and La Fenice. Sharing my passion for opera and vocal music has become a deeply rewarding aspect of my career, and I am dedicated to helping audiences discover new perspectives in these timeless works.
Today, I also work as an independent content creator, delivering in-person and virtual lectures, program notes, podcasts, and video content. You can explore my portfolio and lecture topics here, and see how I might bring value to your organization.
My husband and I live in the Philadelphia suburbs with our two dogs. We also share our lives with an intellectually and physically disabled gentleman through the LifeSharing program. He joined us over 10 years ago and made us a family. We are wonderfully thankful and infinitely blessed that he is part of our lives. Welcoming him into our home was the best decision we've ever made.
I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. Let's connect.