Russell Thomas Tenor

An alumnus of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Program, Russell most recently returned there as Rodolfo in La bohème. In recent seasons, he has made his debut in the roles of Don Alvaro (La Forza del destino) at Deutsche Oper Berlin and Manrico (Il Trovatore) at Bayerische Staatsoper, Munich. 

Other important role debuts include Stiffelio for the Frankfurt Opera, and Turiddu (Cavalleria rusticana) for the Deutsche Oper, Berlin. Last season, he returned to the Royal Opera House Covent Garden as Otello and sang, in the United-States, Florestan (Fidelio) at San Francisco Opera and Mario Cavaradossi (Tosca) at Lyric Opera of Chicago. He became the first Artist in Residence at LA Opera, where he hosts and curates the company’s After Hours recital series. 

Russell Thomas has long worked with stage director Peter Sellars, and created the role of Lazarus in the world premiere of The Gospel According to the Other Mary by John Adams. This collaboration has continued at the Salzburg Festival, where he made his debut in the title role of La clemenza di Tito, before returning during Season 2018/19 in Idomeneo. 

In concert, Russell Thomas performed Loge (Das Rheingold) for the first time with the New York Philharmonic and Beethoven's Symphony n°9 in the New Year’s Concert of the Wiener Konzerthaus under Gianandrea Noseda. He also toured in Hamburg with Vienna Philharmonic and performed the title role in a concert version of Stravinsky’s Œdipus Rex conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen in Helsinki. 

In the 2022/23 season, Russell Thomas returns as Don Carlo at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and appears as Ernani at Lyric Opera of Chicago, in Turandot (Calaf) at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and as Otello at Los Angeles Opera.

Paris Opera debut