Chad Sonka

Chad Sonka, baritone has established himself as an artist with a diverse array of skills in the world of voice. In a recent notable engagement, he performed the role of Dr. Falke in Cedar Rapids Opera's production of Die Fledermaus. He also premiered the role of Robert Schumann in Jodi Goble's Du, Meine Welt! He was a featured soloist with the Central Iowa Symphony, performing Ravel's Don Quichotte à Dulcinée. Previous opera credits include La bohème (Marcello) with Opera Quad Cities; A Royal Feast by Ching (Alidoro, world premiere) with Savannah OPERA; Tosca (Scarpia – cover) with Central City Opera; Gianni Schicchi (Marco) with Savannah Music Festival; Man of La Mancha (Don Quixote) with Cedar Rapids Opera; The Mother of Us All (Virgil T.), The Rape of Lucretia (Junius), Elijah (Elijah) with Manhattan School of Music; and Amahl and the Night Visitors (King Melchior) with Nevada Opera. He frequently appears as a baritone soloist at Des Moines Metro Opera events in Iowa. 

Equally versed in concert works and competitions, he has performed Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder, Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs, as well as Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem as his Carnegie Hall debut with Iowa State University Symphony Orchestra and choirs. He was the first-place winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions – Iowa District in 2017.

Chad’s accolades extend beyond his own singing as a director, teacher, and administrator. Since 2017, Chad has served on Iowa State University’s faculty, teaching voice and opera in his home state, and is currently the head of the voice division. He was named the Shakeshaft Master Teacher for 2022-2023 for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Chad is a recent president of the Iowa Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) where his students consistently place at the Regional and National levels. He is the current Education and Outreach Director of the Sherrill Milnes VOICE Programs, which mentor young singers as they begin their careers. His service continues as he serves on the board of Cedar Rapids Opera. 

His stage directing credits include: Strauss II's Die Fledermaus, Weill’s Street Scene, Viardot’s Cendrillon, Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas (virtual), and Ching’s Speed Dating Tonight! at Iowa State University; Ragland’s Charlie and the Wolf (outreach) with Cedar Rapids Opera; Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance, Portman’s The Little Prince, Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, Menotti’s The Medium, and Ching’s A Royal Feast (premiere) with the Sherrill Milnes VOICE Programs.