Biography

American baritone Robert Mellon was praised not only for his "glorious voice that burst out brimming with life and vigor," but also for his "immense skill as an actor."

Looking ahead, Mr. Mellon will debut with Manitoba Opera, reprising the role of Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro. He will return to Tulsa Opera to premiere the role of Major General Stanley in Pirates of Penzance. Later in the season he will reprise the same role in Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’s production of Pirates of Penzance. He will also make his debut as Billy Bigelow in Carousel with the Will Rogers Foundation.

During the 2024–2025 season, Mellon made multiple house and role debuts. He appeared with Indianapolis Opera as Doctor Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia and with Anchorage Opera as Sharpless in Madama Butterfly. He returned to Opera Tampa as Malatesta in Don Pasquale, reprised Tonio in Pagliacci with Vero Beach Opera, and performed John Trotta’s Seven Last Words of Christ in Kirkwood, MO, with Kirkwood Baptist Church. In the spring, he returned to Opera Theatre of Saint Louis for role debuts as Frank in Die Fledermaus and Quince in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

In the 2023–2024 season, Mellon debuted George in Of Mice and Men at Livermore Valley Opera. He made house debuts with Winter Opera Saint Louis as Leporello in Don Giovanni, Detroit Opera as Terry in Breaking the Waves, and Florida Grand Opera as Tonio in Pagliacci. He also returned to Opera Theatre of Saint Louis as Cardinal 2/Servant/Oracle 2/Inquisitor 2 in Philip Glass’s Galileo Galilei.

The 2022–2023 season featured debuts with Opera Tampa as Tonio in Pagliacci, Lyric Opera of Kansas City as Escamillo in Carmen, and Tulsa Opera as Taddeo in L’italiana in Algeri. He returned to Pensacola Opera as Marcello in La bohème and to Syracuse Opera/Tri-Cities Opera for the title role in Le nozze di Figaro. Mellon also sang Dandini in La Cenerentola with Opera Maine, where he had previously performed as Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro and Papageno in Die Zauberflöte.

In the 2021–2022 season, Mellon returned to Opera de Oviedo for role debuts as Marcello in La bohème and Gubetta in in Lucrezia Borgia, having previously sung Simone in Eine Florentinische Tragödie and Tonio in Pagliacci with the company. He made debuts with Opera Philadelphia as Marullo in Rigoletto and Pensacola Opera as Papageno in Die Zauberflöte. With In Series Opera, he appeared as Iago in Otello. At Union Avenue Opera, he performed the title role of Falstaff, where his performance of the “honor aria” was described as having “authority and comic force” that made it a “genuine showstopper.” That portrayal earned him the St. Louis Theater Circle Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera.

Earlier seasons included performances with San Diego Opera as Schaunard in La bohème, Opera Las Vegas as Malatesta in Don Pasquale, Union Avenue Opera as Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and Syracuse Opera as Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte and Leporello in Don Giovanni. He sang in the world premiere of Dear Erich with New York City Opera and appeared in the American premiere of Glass’s The Trial with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis as Willem/Usher/Clerk/Priest. With Livermore Valley Opera, he performed the title role of Gianni Schicchi and Simone in Eine Florentinische Tragödie, the latter earning the company the American Opera Award. The San Francisco Chronicle praised his Simone, noting his “robust, dark-hued tones that consistently rang out at the forefront of the musical texture...with a steely vocal edge that never interfered with the beauty and flexibility of his singing.” Other roles include Sam in Trouble in Tahiti and Pizarro in Fidelio, and Le Père, Ludovic, and L’Usurier in La Belle et la Bête.

As a guest artist in 2014 with his alma mater, Manhattan School of Music, Mellon performed the title role in the American premiere of Bloch’s Macbeth in the original French, a performance lauded for his “dark baritone [that was] full and fresh and quick with dramatic fire.”

Mellon’s concert appearances included the Mozart Requiem, Duruflé Requiem, Dvořák’s Te Deum, Stravinsky’s Pulcinella, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle, Bach’s Magnificat, Händel’s Messiah, and Mussorgsky’s Songs and Dances of Death. Mr. Mellon was a recipient of the 2016 Sullivan foundation award and career grant.