About Geoffrey Shovelton
Geoffrey Richard Shovelton (27 April 1936 – 4 July 2016) was an English singer, actor and illustrator best known for his performances in leading tenor roles with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in the 1970s. Shovelton began his professional life with a teaching career, during which he began to perform professionally in oratorio and opera. He became a full-time professional singer in 1971, performing with Scottish Opera and other companies. Shovelton joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in 1975, playing the leading tenor roles in the Gilbert and Sullivan operas until the company closed in 1982. He also made a few recordings with the company. He continued to perform in Savoy operas, other operas and in concerts both in the UK and the US, and to organize tours and direct productions. Shovelton also illustrated books, journals, promotional materials and greeting cards, mostly in connection with Gilbert and Sullivan. He and his wife settled in the US, in Maine, in 2001, after which he continued to direct, until 2005, and to create artworks, write and give lectures until his last years. While still teaching, Shovelton performed in amateur operatic productions and first played in a Gilbert and Sullivan opera in 1961 in The Pirates of Penzance.
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