Mike Bolton

Michael J. Bolton is a nationally respected opera and classical music lecturer and advocate. A popular on-air classical music host on WRTI 90.1 FM in Philadelphia, Bolton is also well-known for his pre-performance lectures, podcasts, and private seminars, geared to help audiences find themselves within the classics. His warm, bass-baritone voice is instantly recognizable to the 65,000+ people who have attended his lectures. Welcoming and friendly, Bolton delivers high-quality content to audiences of all musical backgrounds and ages.

Bolton has three decades of professional experience in the arts and a voluminous knowledge of opera and classical music. In the opera world, he carved out a niche by introducing novel programs like Hip H’opera and innovative community programming such as Opera on Trial. He was selected by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to oversee the organization’s Random Acts of Culture Initiative in Philadelphia. Today, that video series has over 13 million YouTube views.

An educator at heart, most recently Bolton has lectured with the Metropolitan Opera Guild, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Philadelphia, Cincinnati Opera, Curtis Institute of Music, the University of Pennsylvania. In 2006, he was the first recipient of OPERA America’s Diversity Award.

Bolton studied classical voice at Temple University’s Esther Boyer College of Music. He resides in the Philadelphia suburbs with his spouse, Peter, and Larry, a beloved family member through the Lifesharing program for the intellectually disabled. The busy family has two dogs, Oliver and Finny. Bolton can easily be won over with a dish of ice cream or some tea and a conversation about William Morris wallpaper.