Joshua Scheid (he/him) writes and performs words and music. Currently based in Baltimore, where he recently completed the residency of his doctoral studies, Joshua loves to make opera that draws on the beautiful weirdness of today. His most recent devised show, The Sperm Whale Makes the Loudest Sound of Any Living Thing, combined humor and heart with the help of collaborators real and imagined.

 

In operatic repertoire, Joshua is drawn especially to new works. In addition to collaborating with student composers while at Peabody and Boston Conservatory, Joshua recently premiered the lead role in the new American production of celebrated Hungarian playwright Bela Pinter’s The Champion and gave the staged premiere of Mr. Darcy in Kirke Mechem's Pride and Prejudice. Along with five fantastic collaborators, Joshua recently founded a new opera company, Strange Trace. 

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In his increasingly rare appearances in standard repertoire, Joshua’s performances have included Blitch (Susannah), Escamillo (Carmen), and Leporello (Don Giovanni), and he still wants to play Wozzeck (in case there are any casting directors reading this).

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His short play, Box, was recently featured in Rapid Lemon Production’s annual Variations Project.

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For Strange Trace’s inaugural season, Joshua directed a virtual production of his opera See You Today, and collaborated with company member Erin Matthews on the libretto for The Missing Piece, in addition to performing in Emails from Gary and the Opera Excerpts Project. Coming up, Joshua will be featured as a performer and director for their first annual Stencils Festival, for which he is also serving as Festival Coordinator.