Lauded for his “pleasantly throbbing tone” (Opera Today)

Tenor Michael Deshield, lauded for his “pleasantly throbbing tone” (Opera Today), recently was recognized by The Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition as a winner of the Indiana District as well as singing in the Semi-finals of the Butler Opera International Competition.

In December of 2025, Mr. Deshield made his New Jersey Festival Orchestra debut as a guest artist in their “Return of the Holiday Tenors” concert. In January of 2026, he will compete in the Central Region of The Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition as well as Houston Grand Opera’s Eleanor McCollum Competition. In the summer, he will make his Madison Symphony Orchestra debut as the tenor soloist in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. 

During his time at Sarasota Opera in the beginning months of 2025, Mr. Deshield covered the role of Raffaele in Stiffelio and was awarded with the Stuart R. Silver Scholarship in Support of a Returning Apprentice Artist. In May of 2025, he competed in the Wagner Society of New York’s International Singers’ Competition and was awarded with an encouragement award for Third Prize.

In the summer of 2024, Mr. Deshield made his Des Moines Metro Opera debut, singing the role of the Second Jew in Strauss’s Salome and covering Walter in Damien Geter and Lila Palmer’s American Apollo.

A graduate of the Jacobs School of Music, he performed the roles of Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, The Governor in Bernstein’s Candide and Nate in Still’s Highway 1, USA. He also made his debut at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra during their 2022 “Greetings from Japan” concert singing B.F. Pinkerton in Puccini's Madama Butterfly. During his undergraduate career at Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, he performed roles such as Monostatos in Die Zauberflöte, Ferrando in Così fan tutte, Fenton in The Merry Wives of Windsor.

Mr. Deshield holds a Master’s of Music in Voice from Indiana University and a Bachelor’s of Music in Voice Performance from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania.