Opera artist and tenor Steven Cole has a large collection of bicycles stored throughout opera houses around the United States and throughout the world, including the one kept at Music Hall in Cincinnati for use during his appearances here.

“I have never driven a car and have no interest in doing so, so I have bicycles stored at opera houses and music halls in every city where I perform,’’ he said. This advocate for a car-free lifestyle has spent his career in eight countries, with appearances in 75 operatic supporting or “character’’ roles.

Cole last week appeared as Monsieur Triquet, a French tutor, in the Cincinnati Opera production of Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin.’’ Next week he plays the role of Monostatos, the Moor, in the local opera company’s production of Mozart’s “Die Zauberflote” (The Magic Flute), presented July 27, 29 and 31 at Music Hall.

During the time Cole is in Cincinnati for rehearsals and performances, he uses his bicycle to get around town with frequent visits to The Public Library (he is an avid reader), to Findlay Market (he loves to cook), to a nearby gym (“It’s important we singers stay fit.) and to other locations.

Cole has been a regular in Cincinnati Opera productions since his friend and fan Evans Mirageas, the opera’s Harry T. Wilks Artistic Director, joined the company in 2005.

His first appearance in Cincinnati was as Pong in Puccini’s “Turandot” in 1987 when James de Blasis was artistic director. Under Mirageas’ direction, he has appeared in Cincinnati Opera productions of Carman, The Marriage of Figaro, Madame Butterfly, The Tales of Hoffmann and now The Magic Flute. Mirageas also casts Cole in some productions of the Atlanta Opera, where Mirageas is consulting artistic director. “Evans has told me he will hire me as long as I can walk on the stage,’’ he said of his friend.

“I love my roles,’’ Cole said, referring to the supporting roles he plays as “hit and quit operatic characters.’’ Tenor Joseph Frank says of the secondary roles that he and Cole relish as adding color and interest to the plot.

Cole says the secondary role “shows another leading aspect of the leading character.’’ He adds, ‘’I know my role is there because the composer decided that at that point in the opera they needed my character for a particular reason. I have to discover how the composer perceived the role in each situation. Is my character there to show another dimension of the leading character, to add personality to the comic relief, or to hold up the action while the audience has a chance to prepare for what is coming in the next scene?’’

Cole says he arrives at a rehearsal completely prepared Herald ad K11 07/06/11 and with a “bag of tricks.’’ He explains that directors do not have time to deal with secondary players, so no one has time for him to make a mistake. “Directors recognize I am someone who has experience, and once they assist me in determining my character’s boundaries, they can let me go,’’ he said.

Cole, 62, a native of Baltimore who now calls New York City home, says, “New York was created for me.’’ It’s his base as he travels the world.

His parents discouraged him from pursuing a career in singing, although he performed with glee clubs and in school performances. He decided to become a sociologist and anthropologist and had received a Watson Fellow scholarship to study in England. Instead, he used the grant to study voice in England and

Paris. The door opened for the young tenor when he stepped into a concert version of “Eugene

Onegin” on 48-hours notice with the Boston Symphony while a student of Phyllis Curtin’s at Tanglewood.

Cole says he is “single and happy, “with a large collection of friends, acquaintances and admirers.’’ His favorite pastimes are reading and cooking. He is currently reading “Saturday, A Day in the Life of A Neurosurgeon’’ by Ian McEwan, and he loves a classic tale by Charles Dickens. He loves to cook chicken dishes, and a roasted chicken “provides the illusion of home for me,’’ he said. His favorite is boiled chicken with ginger, scallions and garlic served cold with roasted sesame oil. For local restaurants, his favorites are Honey’s on the Northside and Nicolas Italian restaurant on Sycamore Street.

Next for Cole is an appearance in The Magic Flute in Paris. Same opera, but different bicycle, perhaps with a sign on it that says, “un vehicule de moins.’’