Jacob De Sett is a baritone from Leawood, Kansas. A recent graduate of the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston, he concluded his degree with a “dignified” portrayal of Timur (Houston Chronicle) in a concert performance of Puccini’s Turandot alongside Christine Goerke in the title role and Limmie Pulliam as Calaf.
Upcoming in 2026, De Sett returns to Seagle Festival as a Guest Artist where he will perform Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte. On the concert stage, he will make his debut with Ars Lyrica Houston in Hunter’s Prey and Bach’s Magnificat as the Bass Soloist.
In the summer of 2025, De Sett joined Seagle Festival as an Emerging Artist. There he showcased his abilities as a crossover artist, performing as Escamillo in Carmen and Lord Evelyn Oakleigh in Anything Goes. He previously trained as a Bonfils-Stanton Studio Artist at Central City Opera where he covered Roy Johnson in The Light in the Piazza, Frosch in Die Fledermaus, and Gad Beck in Two Remain (Out of Darkness).
De Sett holds a Master of Music in Voice Performance from the University of Houston, an Artist Diploma from William Jewell College, and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Kansas where he received the Haven Preyer Award for Voice. He has performed a variety of baritone and bass roles including Don Alfonso (Cosi fan tutte), Escamillo (Carmen), Timur (Turandot), Albert (Werther), Mercutio (Romeo et Juliette), Hannah Younger (As One), and the title role in Offenbach’s M. Choufleuri.
Jacob is currently based in Houston, Texas.
2026
Bass Soloist — Bach: Magnificat in D Major
Ars Lyrica Houston - Dec. 4, 2026
https://www.arslyricahouston.org/magnificat
Don Alfonso — Così fan tutte
Seagle Festival - July 23 + 25, 2026
https://seaglefestival.org/2026-season/
Semi-finalist — Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition
Baruch Performing Arts Center - May 18-23, 2026
https://www.jensenfoundation.org
Ensemble — Messiah (Robert Wilson)
Houston Grand Opera - Apr. 17-May 3, 2026
https://www.houstongrandopera.org/on-stage/messiah
French Soldier/Ensemble — Silent Night
Houston Grand Opera - Jan. 23-Feb. 8, 2026
https://www.houstongrandopera.org/on-stage/silent-night
2025
Lord Evelyn Oakleigh — Anything Goes
Seagle Festival - August 20-23, 2025
https://seaglefestival.org/2025-season/
Escamillo — Carmen
Seagle Festival - July 23-26, 2025
https://seaglefestival.org/2025-season/
Timur — Turandot (in concert)
Moores Opera Center - April 24, 2025
https://kgmcaboxofficemusic.universitytickets.com/w/event.aspx?id=1553
Masterclass with Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek
Epilogue (Jan’s aria) from Breaking the Waves
Moores School of Music - April 18, 2025
Master’s Degree Recital
When Dreams Fade: Songs of Illusion, Struggle, and Longing
Music by Rossini, Ibert, Robert Owens, and Schoenberg
Dudley Recital Hall - April 8, 2025, at 6:00 pm
Amantio di Nicolao — Gianni Schicchi
Moores Opera Center - Jan. 30-31 & Feb. 1-2, 2025
https://kgmcaboxofficemusic.universitytickets.com/w/default.aspx?PageNumber=1
2024
Gideon March — Little Women
Moores Opera Center - October 17-20, 2024
https://kgmcaboxofficemusic.universitytickets.com/?cid=167
Albert Prosser/Henry Hobson (cover) — Hobson’s Choice (workshop)
Moores Opera Center - April 27, 2024
Don Alfonso — Così fan tutte
Moores Opera Center - April 11-14, 2024
https://kgmcaboxofficemusic.universitytickets.com/?cid=167
Ensemble — Parsifal
Houston Grand Opera - January 21-February 4, 2024
https://my.houstongrandopera.org/parsifal-23-24/4973
2023
Masterclass with Sergei Leiferkus, baritone
Onegin’s arioso from Eugene Onegin
Moores School of Music - November 30, 2023
Choufleuri — Monsieur Choufleuri restera chez lui le (Offenbach)
Moores Opera Center - October 26-29, 2023
https://kgmcaboxofficemusic.universitytickets.com/?cid=167
Albert — Werther
William Jewell College - May 6-7, 2023
Escamillo — Carmen
Overland Park Orchestra, Aspiria Auditorium - March 4, 2023
https://artskcgo.com/event/the-overland-park-orchestra-presents-carmen/
2022
James “Dad” Mills — The House without a Christmas Tree
The Folly Theater - December 6, 2022
William Jewell College & Kansas City Chamber Orchestra
Gad Beck (cover) — Two Remain (Out of Darkness)
Central City Opera - July 16-28, 2022
Frosch (cover) — Die Fledermaus
Central City Opera - July 9-31, 2022
Roy Johnson (cover) — The Light in the Piazza
Central City Opera - July 2-28, 2022
Bass soloist — Mozart: Vespers
Liberty Symphony Orchestra
Figaro (cover)/Antonio — Le nozze di Figaro
William Jewell College
2021
Masterclass with Anthony Roth Costanzo — Harriman-Jewell Series
University of Missouri-Kansas City, Grant Hall - Dec. 19, 2021, at 2:00pm
Greatorex/Gissing/Solomon/Etcher — Elizabeth Cree
William Jewell College
Mercutio — Roméo et Juliette
Lawrence Opera Theatre
Hannah-younger — As One
University of Kansas Opera, Lied Center
2019
Curio — Giulio Cesare in Egitto
University of Kansas Opera
Pistola (cover) — Falstaff
Lawrence Opera Theatre