Praised for his “Clear and projected” voice (New York Concert Review), “Dramatically Handsome” looks  (ToledOvations) as well as his "Stunning" and "Shimmering" sound (Chicago Concert Review and Giesserner Allgemeine respectively), American Tenor Shawn Mlynek has been gaining attention both nationally and internationally as an “Upcoming Star Singer.”  (Nocturnes in the City, Toronto)

Recent worldwide debuts include: Carnegie Hall, Slovak National Theater, Lincoln Center's David Gaffin Hall, Internationale Maifestspiele Wiesbaden, Stadttheater Giessen, Teatro Principal de Burgos (Spain), Dallas Chamber Symphony, Bach Orchester Stuttgart, Haymarket Opera Company, Toronto’s ‘Nocturnes in the City’ concert series, Opera Fayetteville, the Cincinnati Early Music Festival, Indianapolis Opera, Utah Festival Opera, Trinity International Concert Choir, St Croix Landmarks Society (Virgin Islands), and Cincinnati Chamber Opera. 

Mr. Mlynek recently was named a winner in the Komitas International Competition in Berlin, the Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg Competition, and was awarded a competitive Pittsburgh Concert Society Wickline Seamen Grant. He has won awards in the Czech and Slovak International Competition, the Shirley Rabb Winston Competition (NSAL), and the Harold Haugh Light Opera Competition.  Mlynek has been named a national/international finalist in many competitions including the John Kerr Award, Frank Huntington Beebe Fund Auditions, Kate Neal Kinley Auditions, Bethlehem Bach Competition, and a semi-finalist in the William C. Byrd Young Artist Competition, Palm Beach Opera Competition, the Sarasota Artist Guild Competition, and the Concorso Lirico Competition.

Mlynek is very proud of his Czech heritage and works to promote the music of Czech/Slovak composers. 

He holds a B.F.A from Carnegie Mellon University and a Masters degree from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM).

In addition to his work as a singer, Mlynek also has co-founded and served as Artistic Director for Ohio-based Cincinnati Chamber Opera for its first four seasons.  He currently serves as Artistic Consultant for the company.  For more information, visit www.cincinnatichamberopera.org.  He has also founded the world's first professional Christian opera company, operCHRISTUS, and currently serves as General and Artistic Director of the organization.