Chad Shelton (born 1970 in Orange, Texas) is an American operatic tenor. Particularly associated with the Houston Grand Opera (HGO), Shelton has excelled in performances of contemporary American operas and in the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Giuseppe Verdi. He has appeared in numerous world premieres with the HGO including Laurie in Mark Adamo's Little Women (1998), Nico in Adamo's Lysistrata (2005), and Ulises in Daniel Catán's Salsipuedes: a Tale of Love, War and Anchovies (2004) among others. He also sang the role of Brigadier General Edward Porter Alexander in the world premiere of Philip Glass's Appomattox at the San Francisco Opera (2007).
Shelton has appeared with numerous opera companies throughout the United States, Europe, and in Australia. His signature roles include Laurie, Ferrando in Mozart's Così fan tutte, Tamino in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, Don Jose in Georges Bizet's Carmen, Alfredo in Verdi's La traviata, and more recently the Duke of Mantua in Verdi's Rigoletto. He has made a number of recordings with the Minnesota Orchestra and performed with numerous orchestras throughout the United States.