Michael Bolton

Michael J. Bolton is a nationally respected opera and classical music lecturer and advocate, well-known for his pre-performance lectures, podcasts, and private seminars, geared to help audiences find themselves within the classics.

While some may know him as a popular on-air classical music host on WRTI 90.1 FM in Philadelphia, he is an educator at heart. Over 65,000 people have attended his lectures with the Metropolitan Opera Guild, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Philadelphia, Cincinnati Opera, the Curtis Institute of Music, and the University of Pennsylvania, among many other institutions nationally. He recently made his Italian debut lecturing in Milan and Venice in conjunction with opera productions at the legendary Teatro alla Scala and La Fenice theaters.

Transitioning from a dynamic two-decade tenure at Opera Philadelphia, where he spearheaded groundbreaking community initiatives, Michael is the Executive Director of the International Friends of Festival Verdi, a U.S.-based non-profit working in conjunction with the Teatro Regio di Parma and its annual Festival Verdi to promote and support the Regio and Festival and ensuring Verdi’s legacy. In this role he is oversees the company’s fundraising, marketing, and outreach efforts around the U.S.

In his spare time, Michael can be heard as the host of Arizona PBS’s Phoenix Symphony broadcast concert series, centenary for NPR. He’s also a burgeoning voiceover artist who recently made his national television acting debut on A&E’s reality television program “Undercover: Caught on Tape.”

Michael resides in the Philadelphia suburbs with his spouse, Peter, and Larry, an intellectually and physically disabled gentleman who has become a beloved member of their family through the Lifesharing program. The busy family has two dogs, Oliver and Finny, who prove that dogs really do eat homework… and shoes and socks as well. Learn more about Michael at michaeljbolton.com.