Last season the bass-baritone completed his final year in the Houston Grand Opera Studio, where his tenure has been highlighted by his appearance in the “Lawrence Brownlee & Friends” concert and the roles of Billy King/Damien Sneed’s Marian’s Song (world premiere) and Monterone/Rigoletto. Other notable performances include Monterone at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and both Colline/La bohème and Judge Turpin/Sweeney Todd at Wolf Trap Opera. During 2021/2022 he returns to Houston Grand Opera as Daddy and Tim/Joel Thompson’s The Snowy Day (world premiere) and Friar Laurence/Romeo and Juliet. He will also join the roster of the Metropolitan Opera. Following his participation in Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute, he toured with pianist Kevin Murphy and performed in the Tucson Desert Song Festival. He has worked with the Cincinnati Song Initiative and continues to work with living composers, both in performance through the field of research as an affiliate with the Black Opera Research Network. Newton is also a co-founder of the Black Opera Database. He is an alumnus of San Diego State University and Rice University.