Adam Smith
Hailed as the “tenor that the whole opera world is talking about” (Marie Claire) and a “revelation” (Bachtrack), Adam Smith is known for his voice that “overflows with dramatic conviction and heroic impact” (Opera Now Magazine). Recent standout roles include Don José in Carmen, Rodolfo La Bohème and Cavaradossi in Tosca. Having already made his debuts at the Glyndebourne Festival, Greek National Opera, La Monnaie de Munt and Opéra National de Bordeaux in previous seasons, his 2023/24 season includes two role debuts, and multiple house debuts throughout the United States and Europe.
Adam Smith’s 2023/24 season begins with his role debut as Turiddu in Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana at Lyric Opera of Kansas City conducted by Maestro Roberto Kalb. This is followed by his debut with Washington National Opera, where he sings Roméo in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette directed by Simon Godwin. Returning to the role of The Prince in Dvořák’s Rusalka, Adam Smith makes his house debut at Les Arts Valencia in a production by Christof Loy, followed by Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly at San Diego Opera, marking his house debut. He later reprises the role twice more, first in a concert performance with the Stuttgarter Philharmoniker and then again in the summer as he makes his debut at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence. During his season, he also returns to one of his signature roles, Cavaradossi in Puccini’s Tosca, at the Staatsoper Hamburg, marking his German debut.
Recent highlights include his heralded debut at the La Monnaie de Munt as both Luigi and Rinuccio in a new Tobias Krazer production of Puccini’s Il Trittico conducted by Alain Atinoglu. Bachtrack commented on the performance: “[the] tenor knows how to pierce the orchestral wall with insolence without however neglecting the line and the most subtle nuances,” as well as Luigi under the baton of Sir Mark Elder at the BBC Proms. Further highlights include Florestan in Fidelio at the Glyndebourne Festival, and his South American debut at Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo as Cavaradossi in Tosca, a role which he also performed with the English National Opera, Don José in Carmen, Rodolfo in Puccini’s La bohème, Duca di Mantova in Verdi’s Rigoletto at Scottish National Opera, and the Prince in Dvořák’s Rusalka. On the occasion of his debut in France, at Opéra national de Bordeaux as the title role in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, he was praised for his French diction, “The pronunciation, to which we French are so attached when it comes to opera in our language, is neat, the natural emission of the voice has the ideal timbre so that the poet stands out from the other tenors without forcing the line.” (Forumopera) Mr. Smith also made his Greek debut with this role at Greek National Opera in a production by Krzysztof Warlikowski, and his Italian debut singing the role of Erik in Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna. In addition, Adam Smith has performed Boris in Káťa Kabanová at the Opera national de Lyon and Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Cincinnati Opera.
Adam Smith has worked with a distinguished list of conductors and directors including Calixto Bieito, Mariame Clément, Alexander Joel, Daniel Kramer, Cornelius Meister, Sir Jonathan Miller, Tomaš Netopil, Giacomo Sagripanti, and Alberto Zedda among many others.
Born in the UK, Mr. Smith began his musical studies with the violin at the age of four. He graduated from the RNCM with a first-class honours degree in music with additional degrees from the International Opera Course at the Guildhall and a Master of Music with Distinction. From 2014-2017 Adam was a member of the ensemble at Opera Vlaanderen in Antwerp, during his time there he performed a diverse collection of roles. Prizes include First Prize, Audience Prize, Critics’ Prize, and the prize for The Best Tenor at the 2015 Ferruccio Tagliavini International Singing Competition in Austria. In the same year he won Third Prize in the Ada Sari International Singing Competition in Poland and in 2016 he was a finalist in the International Moniuszko Vocal Competition.