News
Teaching at CIM
I had a wonderful time teaching at the Cleveland Institute of Music, working with the students in one-on-one lessons, teaching a masterclass, and performing a recital in beautifully renovated Kulas Hall together with pianist John Simmons.
Mothers of Kherson
Dennis workshops the newly commissioned opera The Mothers of Kherson at the Metropolitan Opera. The work will premiere at the Polish National Opera next season and at the Met in 2027/2028.
In the workshop, he will portray the roles Rescue Planner and Camp Guard, collaborating closely with the composer, librettist, and creative team in a process that will culminate in a presentation for Peter Gelb, conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson, and the Met’s Artistic and Production teams.
Met Opera Grant
Dennis Chmelensky has been awarded a 2025 Ed Fund Grant by the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. The grant is given to select alumni who competed at the national level and auditioned for the Metropolitan Opera’s Artistic Staff, recognizing their continued progress and achievement.
Mazeppa in Erl
Dennis will return to Austria to portray Orlik in Tchaikovskys Mazeppa, in a production by Matthew Wild and under the baton of Karsten Januschke at Tiroler Festspiele Erl.
About
Praised for his commanding stage presence and versatile artistry across opera, Lied, and concert repertoires, Dennis Chmelensky has firmly established himself on the international stage.
A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and the Washington National Opera’s Cafritz Young Artist Program, he has performed internationally at venues including Oper Frankfurt, Washington National Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Carnegie Hall, Verbier Festival, Tiroler Festspiele Erl, and the Berliner Philharmonie. This season, he will workshop the newly commissioned opera The Mothers of Kherson at The Metropolitan Opera, developing the roles of Rescue Planner and Camp Guard in a creative process culminating in a presentation for Peter Gelb, conductor Keri-Lynn Wilson, and the Met’s artistic leadership team. Additionally, he will perform and teach at the Cleveland Institute of Music, working with CIM students in a masterclass and individual lessons.
Dennis’ repertoire includes the title role in Don Giovanni and Junior in Bernstein's A Quiet Place (Opera Philadelphia), Don Polidoro in Cimarosa's L'Italiana in Londra (Oper Frankfurt), Orlik in Tchaikovsky's Mazeppa and Le Marquis de Corcy in Adam's Le postillon de Lonjumeau (Tiroler Festspiele Erl), Peter in Hänsel und Gretel and Tom in Un ballo in maschera (Verbier Festival), Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus (Seiji Ozawa Academy), Papageno at the Chautauqua Music Festival, and world premieres of Vistein's The Barren(s) and Slopera by Carlos Simon (Washington National Opera). He has also appeared at festivals and in concert at venues including Carnegie Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, and the Phillips Collection.
He trained in the Staatsoper children's chorus, Julius Stern Institut, and the cathedral choir in Berlin, where he appeared as a soloist on stage with conductors including Daniel Barenboim, Sir Simon Rattle and Kent Nagano. He joined the Curtis Institute of Music as a Guna S. Mundheim Fellow, guided by Marlena Malas and Mikael Eliasen, and has been mentored by Robert Holl and Elly Ameling (Franz Schubert Institute), Thomas Hampson and Anne Sofie von Otter (Verbier Festival), Brigitte Fassbaender and Malcolm Martineau (IMA), Mitsuko Uchida and Stephanie Blythe (Curtis), and Isabel Leonard and Renée Fleming (Kennedy Center). He has won many competitions and awards, was a semi-finalist at the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition and won the Prix Thierry Mermod. A former Sony Classical Artist, his debut album was released in 2009.
Calendar
Teaching
Dennis Chmelensky is deeply committed to sharing the transformative power of music beyond the stage. He brings a wealth of international experience at the highest artistic level to his teaching and has taught at world-class institutions, most recently at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Whether bringing music education to public school classrooms, conservatories, and universities, leading community outreach initiatives, or expanding access to music education online with Sirius and ArtSmart, he is dedicated to empowering students of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities.
Learn to Sing Online
I work with a limited number of students online to help them achieve their goals. I provide targeted support in finding places at music schools, opera studios, and performance opportunities; creating a compelling audition portfolio; and developing a strategy for competitions and future career paths.
Musical Perspectives
Musical Perspectives tells the stories of today’s artists and offers insights and guidance in an ever-changing professional landscape. Discover new paths, become part of the project, and build a career that fits your lifestyle and artistic identity.
Watch
