A rising star

Baritone Jonathan Rhoades is a recognized emerging artist, receiving praise for his ability to sing well into a tenor’s range with warmness and finesse. 

Jonathan Rhoades, baritone, is frequently engaged in productions in Memphis. His 2024-25 season includes his upcoming debut with Opera in the Ozarks in the roles of Zuniga in Carmen, the Narrator and Mysterious Man in Into the Woods, Kromow in The Merry Widow. He also recently performed as Tony in The Most Happy Fella at the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music at the University of Memphis and in the chorus for Opera Memphis’ productions of The Rake’s Progress and Carmen. 

His degree recital, From Longing to Belonging, featured the Chansons Gaillardes by Poulenc, “Ah, per sempre io ti perdei” and “Bel sogno beato” from I puritani, original compositions, the Five Mystical Songs by Vaughan Williams, and “The Trumpet Shall Sound” from Messiah. 

In the 2023-24 season, he performed three roles with the Rudi E. Scheidt School of music: Masetto in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Mr. Gobineau in Menotti’s The Medium, and Hans in Künneke’s Der Vetter aus Dingsda. He also performed in the chorus in the Opera Memphis production of La Bohéme. In previous seasons, he performed the roles Brack Weaver from Down in the Valley by Kurt Weill, the Bartender and Dater #15 in Michael Ching’s Speed Dating Tonight!, and Lieutenant Sam in The Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan.

He taught 6th-8th grade choir and theatre from 2021-2023 in Snyder, Texas. In that time, he developed his ability to teach students and get them excited about the performing arts.

Jonathan Rhoades graduated in May 2025 with a Master of Music in vocal performance at the University of Memphis, where he studied with Matt Burns. In December 2020, he graduated with a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Oklahoma State University where he studied with Steve Sanders.