Sean Stanton,

Sean Stanton is a distinguished singer, educator, conductor, and clinician whose career bridges the realms of performance, pedagogy, and wellness. He serves as a Lecturer in Voice at Scripps College and the Head Graduate Assistant in Vocal Arts at the University of Southern California, where he is completing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree with a focus on Arts Leadership, Choral Conducting, and research on student success, under the guidance of Professor Lynn Helding. At both institutions, he teaches a wide range of vocal styles, from American Musical Theater to Bel Canto, working with classical and contemporary voice students, graduate performers, and dancers in the USC Kaufman School of Dance.

As a performer, Sean has appeared with leading American opera companies including Central City Opera, Opera North, Opera Southwest, Opera San Antonio, Opera on the James, and Opera Steamboat. He is a current member of the Los Angeles Master Chorale and has performed extensively with the Lyric Opera of Chicago Chorus, Grant Park Chorus, and Chicago Symphony Chorus, where he served as bass section leader under Duain Wolfe.

His 2024–2025 season featured a Los Angeles NATS Chapter–sponsored recital of Winterreise, J.S. Bach’s Ich habe genug (BWV 82) with the St. Paul’s Chamber Orchestra in Philadelphia, and a featured appearance in An Evening with Willa Cather as part of the Library Foundation of Los Angeles' ALOUD series.

For the 2025–2026 season, Sean will join the Board of the Los Angeles Chapter of NATS, attend the International Congress of Voice Teachers (ICVT) in Toronto as a professional development grant recipient, serve as an Apprentice Artist at Berkshire Choral International, and join the Classical Music Institute in San Antonio, Texas as a Teaching Artist Fellow. He will also present Empowered Performance From the Core: Practical Techniques to Optimize Breathing and Posture, a collaborative session with Pamela Mikkelsen (PT, DPT, OCS), at the Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA) International Symposium in Washington, DC, and give a recital in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with longtime collaborator Kristin Ditlow.

Sean has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Lola Fletcher Award from the American Opera Society and honors from James Toland Vocal Arts, the New York Lyric Opera Theatre, Classical Singer, the Bel Canto Foundation, and the Luminarts Cultural Foundation. His competitive achievements include first-place awards in the Chicago, Illinois, and Central Region NATS competitions, and the 2024 Los Angeles NATS Young Artist Award.

His teaching philosophy integrates science-informed methods, including motor learning theory, performer wellness, and student-centered strategies to support technical independence and sustainable artistry. He has directed high school and collegiate choral ensembles, as well as led choirs for ACDA, ILMEA, and Varsity Vocals. As a teaching artist with Music of the Baroque’s Strong Voices program, he worked in underserved Chicago schools to strengthen choral programs and prepare students for professional performance opportunities.

In addition to his academic and performance work, Sean is deeply committed to wellness and mind-body integration in the performing arts. He is certified in Informatics Rehabilitation QiGong Healing and has completed RYT-200 yoga training. He has led interactive workshops on Qi Gong and performance health at institutions including the University of Southern California, University of New Mexico, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, and the Central Region NATS conference.