Noted for his versatile singing in the baritone and bass-baritone repertoire, Darren Templeton is an emerging artist and current graduate student at The Ohio State University. He will be making his role debut as Peter in Hansel and Gretel at Ohio State in February 2024. He was last heard as Aeneas in Dido and Aeneas at Ohio State in April 2023. Darren is excited to also make his role debuts as Prince Gremin in Eugene Onegin with Opera Columbus (Ohio) and as Marullo in Rigoletto with Mobile Opera (Alabama) both in March 2024. Darren is a recent winner of Ohio State University’s Vocal Concerto Contest and the Wilson Competition. In 2023, Darren made his professional and role debut with Opera Columbus as Count Ceprano in Rigoletto. In 2022, Darren was the bass soloist in M. Haydn’s Requiem in c with Trinity United Methodist and sang the role of King Balthazar in Amahl and the Night Visitors in Columbus, OH. Most recently, he sang the National Anthem at the MLS Columbus Crew’s Military Appreciation Night in Columbus, OH in May 2023. During the summer of 2023, Darren studied opera, acting and stage dance abroad with the young artist program, IPAI (International Performing Arts Institute) in Kiefersfelden, Germany. He also participated in Ohio State University’s study abroad program in arts and music in Vienna, Austria. While in Vienna, Darren performed Erich W. Korngold’s “Sonnet fur Wien” in a recorded summer concert at the Mozarthaus in Vienna. Prior to attending Ohio State, Darren served 27 years in the Army and Marine Corps, retiring in 2021 as a Major.