American bass-baritone Kenneth Shaw, who has been hailed for his "strong, impassioned and lyrical" voice (Opera News), long ago established himself as one of America's most talented and versatile artists. He has performed with opera companies throughout North America to critical acclaim. He has sung over 70 leading roles in over 50 operas, as well as concerts and recitals across America, Southeast Asia, Brazil, Canada and the United Kingdom.  

Though his primary focus today is teaching aspiring professional singers at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Mr. Shaw’s singing remains in demand. He continues to add new roles and new companies to his long list of accomplishments. Recent engagements include a role debut as Friar Lawrence in the uniformly lauded 2019 Cincinnati Opera production of Romeo et Juliette. In 2018, Shaw debuted 3 new roles: with Tulsa’s Signature Symphony for Shostakovich’s The Execution of Stepan Razin, the Kentucky Symphony as Timur in Turandot, and he essayed his first Wotan in Das Rheingold with Pittsburg Festival Opera, garnering rave reviews. Earlier in 2017, Mr. Shaw had both a role and company debut as Old Doctor in Samuel Barber’s Vanessa with Toledo Opera. Mr. Shaw is distinguished as the artist with the most performances in Dayton Opera history, having sung Leporello in Don Giovanni, Abimelech in Samson et Dalila, Gideon March in Little Women, Monterone in Rigoletto, Angelotti in Tosca, twice as King in Aida, as well as Sprecher in Die Zauberflöte, Don Pizzaro in Fidelio, Frank in Die Fledermaus, Secret Policeman in The Consul, Baron Duphol in La Traviata and Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia. In April 2021, he returned to Dayton for an astonishing 17th production, as Germont in La Traviata, a role he last sang in 1987 with New York City Opera in Taipei, Taiwan. 

Most recently, Shaw returned to Dayton as Reverend Milton Wright in the February 2022 world premiere of Laura Kaminsky's Finding Wright.  Later in 2022, Shaw added two more new roles: Rocco in Fidelio with Queen City Opera, and Alcindoro in La Boheme with Cincinnati Opera, stepping at the last minute to fill in for an ailing colleague.  Shaw ended the 2022 year as Bass soloist in the Defiant Verdi Requiem with Queen City Opera.  Following these performances, Kenneth Shaw returns March 19 to sing the role of Jesus in Bach's St. John Passion with The Bach Society of Dayton.