Aaron Smith is an American tenor from Phoenix, Arizona. He made his professional debut with the Arizona Opera Company in the first year of his master’s degree, performing Mr Erlanson in their praised production of A Little Night Music, directed by Keturah Stickann and Maestro Andrew Bisantz. Since this debut, Aaron has worked with many companies across the United States, including First Coast Opera, Druid City Opera, and the Janiec Opera Company at the Brevard Music Festival. At Brevard, he sang Alfredo in a lavish production of La traviata, under the direction of Dean Anthony and Maestro Steven White. Atlanta Arts reviewed the show and reported, “As Alfredo, tenor Aaron Smith sang confidently, his voice strong and nicely colored, showing a full range of emotion.” In the following year, Aaron reprised his iconic Alfredo with Valley Opera Company in Arizona, receiving similar praise. Other standard opera credits include leading and supporting roles in Die Zauberflöte, Ariadne auf Naxos, Lucia di Lammermoor, The Rakes Progress, and more. Along with these classics, Aaron also enjoys sharing new opera productions with his audiences. He joined Curt Tucker in a reimaging of his one-act opera, A Stranger’s Tale, where Aaron not only sang the tenor role, but also played the solo violin part on stage, combining his passion for singing and the violin. Additionally, Aaron sang in the workshop of Gregg Kallor’s acclaimed operatic adaption of Mary Shelley’s classic novel Frankenstein.

 When not performing on the operatic stage, Aaron loves to perform oratorio and art song. He was the tenor soloist in the Arizona premiere of Joseph Julian Gonzalez’s groundbreaking Misa Azteca, which combined elements of the Catholic Mass with Aztec and pre-Columbian music styles with Nahua poetry. He has also sung the tenor solos in the major works of Handel’s Messiah, Verdi’s Requiem, and most recently, Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang. As a chamber musician, Aaron had the privilege of performing with famed choral composer Morten Lauridsen in a lecture recital of his first song cycle, A Backyard Universe. He has also performed Gerald Finzi’s touching song cycle, A Young Man’s Exhortation, multiple times with his wife Haley Smith, pianist. In 2024, Aaron was honored to perform as a soloist alongside delegation from the South Korean government in an orchestrated concert of their country’s art songs.

 A multi-talented musician, Aaron is a passionate violinist and plays in various regional orchestras and currently travels across the country as a soloist and improvisation artist. As part of his violin career, he writes and records string parts for soundtracks, pop singles, and albums.

This season, Aaron looks forward to joining TUNDI Productions’ “Wagner in Vermont” festival in Tristan und Isolde, Scottsdale Philharmonic in their concert of Schubert’s Mass in G, and returning to First Coast Opera and Valley Opera Company for productions of Copland’s The Tender Land and Mozart’s Don Giovanni.

Aaron is a graduate of Arizona State University, holding bachelor’s degrees in Voice Performance and Violin Performance and a master’s degree in Opera Performance. He is an Adjunct Professor of Voice at Grand Canyon University where he helps develop the next generation of musicians, teaching private lessons in a variety of music styles including classical, music theatre, and pop. When not performing or teaching, Aaron spends time with his wife traveling the country and spending time in nature.