Shenandoah Conservatory joins the broader university community in mourning the loss of former Shenandoah Conservatory faculty member Michael Forest ’85, ’86, M.M.Ed., who passed away on Sept. 23, 2026. Beloved by his colleagues and students, Forest began working at Shenandoah in 1994, and retired in 2024, after 30 years of dedicated service to the University’s artistic and educational community. 

“I share my condolences with all members of our community who knew Michael, and am deeply appreciative of his many contributions to the conservatory,” said Shenandoah Conservatory Dean and Professor of Music Jennifer Smolos Steele, Ph.D. “His voice lives on in our work.”

As a two-time graduate of Shenandoah, Forest was a highly esteemed artist-teacher with a passion for voice and opera. He studied at the famed Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and was a frequent soloist at the Kennedy Center with the Choral Arts Society of Washington and the Washington Chorus. Symphonic engagements included performances with the National Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, New York Philharmonic, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, BBC Orchestra and L’Orchestre du Montreal. He was a member of the Metropolitan Opera’s Young Artists Development Program from 1989 to 1992. Forest was also an apprentice artist with the Wolf Trap Opera Company and Santa Fe Opera Company.

In 23 seasons with the Metropolitan Opera, he sang over 280 performances of 19 different roles. He also appeared with the Wolf Trap Opera Company, Washington’s Concert Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Washington National Opera, Wexford Opera and Ash Lawn Opera Festival.

His recording credits include Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” (EMI); Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro” (Deutsche Grammophon); a Grammy Award-winning recording of John Corigliano’s “Rage and Remembrance” (BMG); R. Nathaniel Dett’s “The Chariot Jubilee” (VocalEssence, Clarion Label); “Sing Noel” with the Washington Chorus (DVD); Rossini’s “Semiramide” with the Metropolitan Opera (DVD); and Puccini’s “La Fanciulla del West” with the Metropolitan Opera.

Visit jeffressfuneralhome.com to read Forest’s obituary and for information regarding memorial arrangements.