Stephen Cunningham
Dr. Stephen Cunningham, native of South Texas, is a bass-baritone who has experienced international success performing in opera and oratorio. Most recently, Stephen performed the role of Balthazar in Amahl and the Night Visitors with Fargo-Moorhead Opera in 2025. He has sung principal roles with Minnesota Opera, Florentine Opera, La Musica Lirica, Opera Orvieto, Journey North Opera Company, the Kurt Weill Honorarium, Oratorio Society of Minnesota, Twin Cities Community Outreach Opera, Russian Seasons in Minnesota, and Mill City Summer Opera. He has sung as soloist with Gethsemane Episcopal Cathedral, Kenwood Symphony Orchestra, St. Rita Catholic Church Performance Arts Series, Graceland University, and Valley City State University, where he is currently on faculty as Assistant Professor of Voice and Opera.
Stephen’s operatic roles include: Balthazar in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Dulcamara in L’elisir d’Amore, Don Bartolo in Le Nozze di Figaro, Benoît in La bohème, Don Magnifico in La Cenerentola, Jimmy in Mahagonny Singspiel, Bonze in Madama Butterfly, Don Annibale in Il Campanello, Escamillo in Carmen, Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Don Alfonso in Cosi fan tutte and Commendatore in Don Giovanni, as well as the titles roles in Falstaff, Gianni Schicchi and Le Nozze di Figaro. In 2016, Stephen premiered the roles of Prince Abdul and the Captain in Sister Carrie with Florentine Opera, available on Naxos Records. He also premiered the role of Secretary of Defense in The Manchurian Candidate with Minnesota Opera in 2015. Stephen has workshopped numerous operas including The Shining, The Manchurian Candidate, Memory Boy and Doubt with Minnesota Opera, Sister Carrie and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Dead with the University of Minnesota, as well as Sister Carrie with Florentine Opera.
He holds a performance and pedagogy degree from Oklahoma State University (MM) and vocal performance degrees from the University of North Texas (BMA) and University of Minnesota Twin Cities (DMA).