Celena Shafer

Celena Shafer serves as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Voice at the University of Utah, where she imparts expertise through private voice instruction. A critically acclaimed soprano, her career breakthrough occurred at the Santa Fe Opera as Ismene in Mozart's Mitridate, Re di Ponto, with the New York Times highlighting her "silvery voice, fearlessly committed acting and phenomenal technique." She maintains an active dual career in operatic performance and concert engagements with major orchestras nationwide.

Her academic foundation includes:

• Bachelor of Arts (BA) from the University of Utah
• Master of Music (MM) from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance

Shafer specializes in demanding coloratura repertoire, with signature roles including the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute and Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos. Her concert work spans Baroque oratorios (Handel's Messiah), 20th-century masterworks (Britten's War Requiem), and symphonic literature (Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Mahler's Symphonies No. 2, 4, and 8). Pedagogically, she emphasizes technical precision, stylistic authenticity, and dramatic interpretation in vocal training.

Recent performance highlights feature Bernstein programs with the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Costa Rica and Pacific Symphony, Handel's Messiah with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, and operatic roles at Utah Symphony | Utah Opera and Cincinnati Opera. She sustains a decades-long artistic partnership with Utah Symphony | Utah Opera, having performed there since high school in roles ranging from Constanze to Adele.