Like many Oahu youngsters, Quinn Kelsey went to orchestra presentations at Blaisdell Concert Hall as a student. But when he stepped on stage at age 13 as part of the chorus in a Hawaii Opera Theatre production, something happened.

"Suddenly I had this brand-new perspective," he said. "Until then I’d just been in the audience looking down on the stage, and it just did something to me to be on the stage looking back out."

That experience propelled him to some of the world’s greatest opera stages, from the Metropolitan Opera in New York to the famous Semper Opera in Dresden, Germany. And now the baritone has returned to the isles to star as Amonasro in Hawaii Opera Theatre’s production of "Aida," which will be staged today and Tuesday at the concert hall.

"Kelsey’s singing is capacious and weighty, with effortless power and plenty of vibrant color," said a critic describing his performance as Amonasro for the San Francisco Opera, adding that "he deployed those resources with wondrous agility, turning the performance into something both authoritative and tonally light-footed."

Classical singing came easily to Kelsey, whose main teacher was his mother, Debbie Kelsey, who sang for HOT and also led their church choir. Living so far from the opera centers of the world posed no problem, he said.

"I really feel like I probably got the same amount if not more attention and studying from staying here," he said.

He got a job as a soloist at Central Union Church while studying voice at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, singing Handel’s "Messiah" every holiday season and other major sacred works.

"The little on-the-spot kind of things that the soloists had to pick up every Sunday, I was able to bone up on my short-term abilities," said Kelsey, who graduated from UH in 2002.

Mainland studies in Chicago, San Francisco and elsewhere followed, along with high finishes in opera competitions. He is now based in Chicago and lives the life of an itinerant touring opera star. Kelsey considers his experience at the Met, where he debuted in 2008, as the highlight of his career, describing the simple act of using the key card to get into the building as "like you’re in the CIA."

"Even if they don’t know you, it’s like you’re in the club now," he said, recalling an incident where some of the company’s top singers, who had performed in Hawaii, greeted him one evening. "It was like magic, you know?"

In "Aida," Amonasro is the king of Ethiopia who manipulates his daughter Aida in order to acquire secrets from his enemies. "He is the ultimate infiltrator," Kelsey said.

Vocally, the role features a famous duet with Aida. When Kelsey sang it in San Francisco, it was described as "emotionally devastating."

HOT’s "Aida" is a family affair for Kelsey. His mother will be in the chorus, and sister Blythe Kelsey-Takemasa portrays the high priestess. His father, Chris, has also performed in HOT productions but is too busy this year.

"It’s nice to be able to share the stage with them," Kelsey said. "It’s huge family pride. This is what we do and what we’re known for."