A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, Ms. Shelia Tate is a three-time First Place Winner of the Metropolitan Opera Council district auditions. She was born in Washington, D.C. but her family would eventually make West Los Angeles, California their home. Her voice teachers include Jessye Norman’s voice teacher Ms. Elizabeth Manion; Marlena Malas, Martina Arroyo, Grace Dela Cruz, and Gladys Jackson.
Ms. Tate has sung the role of Serena in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess throughout Europe. Her other roles include Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Tosca in Puccini’s Tosca, and Madame Butterfly in Puccini’s Madame Butterfly. She has performed with the Los Angeles Opera; Opera House of Lucerne, Salzburg Opera House, and Vienna State Opera in Austria; Grand Théâtre de Genève in Switzerland; German opera houses in Berlin, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Essen, Hannover, Frankfurt, Friedrichshafen, and Munich; Teatro de San Carlo in Naples, Italy; and have also given recital performances in Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, Los Angeles, New York, and Tokyo.
Ms. Tate’s first memory of singing Gospel music and Spirituals was when she was five years old at the Mount Zion Temple Baptist Church in Los Angeles, her family’s home church. She is immensely grateful to share the deep connection she has with singing music close to her heart --- Spirituals, Gospel music, and hymns. She has enjoyed the respectful and collaborative engagement with Dr. Mabalot and the Bellingham Chamber Chorale of music that is held sacred by her African-American community.
