“A gifted and fiercely committed baritone whose voice is spacious and reverberant”
-OPERA NEWS-

American baritone Robert Wesley Mason bridges traditional opera with contemporary storytelling, possessing a unique versatility that allows him to excel in classical repertoire, contemporary operas, and cross-genre projects. His ability to embody complex, emotionally charged characters sets him apart, and his personal journey of resilience and transformation deeply informs his art.

During the 2025-2026 season, Wes brings his acclaimed portrayal of Jack Torrance to the stage for his third and fourth productions of Paul Moravec and Mark Campbell’s operatic adaptation of Stephen King’s The Shining—first in a brand-new production with Nashville Opera, followed by a house debut with Opera Tampa. Opera News praised Mason’s interpretation of the challenging role as “an articulate, explosive, first-rate Jack, with his dark, robust baritone and assured physicality.”

The 2024-2025 season saw Wes debuting with Opera Grand Rapids as Belcore in L’elisir d’amore, followed by another house debut with Portland Opera, reprising the role of Jack Torrance in The Shining. He then joined the world premiere of Damien Geter and Jessica Murphy Moo’s Loving v. Virginia as Richard Loving (alternate cast and cover) with Virginia Opera.

Previously, Mason appeared in the new music-theatre work American Patriots, created by Samantha Rose Williams with Renegade Opera and Salina Symphony, and returned to Detroit Opera for a new staging of John Cage’s Europeras 3 & 4 directed by Yuval Sharon, where he also covered the role of the Forester in The Cunning Little Vixen. In 2023, Wes reprised his signature role of Billy Bigelow in Carousel in a return to Pensacola Opera and made his role and company debut as Jack Torrance in The Shining with Opera Parallèle. In 2021, he explored the limits of his artistic and physical endurance in Ragnar Kjartansson’s Bliss, a continuous 12-hour performance piece based on Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, with Detroit Opera—where he was the only cast member to remain onstage without a single break.

Performance Highlight

JACK
The Glass Hammer
by Jorge Martín-Buján and Andrew Hudgins