Adam Smith

With “an extraordinarily exciting voice” (Bachtrack) and a “solar timbre with perfectly held piercing high notes” (Resmusica) and “...valiant and homogeneous, bold in the risks he takes” (Forumopera), Adam Smith is known for his voice that “overflows with dramatic conviction and heroic impact” (Opera Now Magazine). The British tenor has recently performed Don José in Carmen at the Royal Ballet and Opera, Cavaradossi in Tosca at the Opéra national de Paris, and Rodolfo in La bohème at the Metropolitan Opera.

Mr. Smith begins his 2026/27 season with his house debut at the Semperoper Dresden, performing Don José in Carmen, before performing Rodolfo in Franco Zeffirelli’s legendary production of Puccini’s La Bohème at the Metropolitan Opera, where he made his debut as Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly last season. In December, he makes his highly anticipated Asian debut and his house and role debut at Korean National Opera, performing the title role in Verdi’s Don Carlos. He then makes house debuts at Houston Grand Opera, where he reprises the role of Radamès in Verdi’s Aida in a production by Kaneza Schaal, and at Teatro Massimo di Palermo and Theater Bonn, where he performs one of his signature roles, Mario Cavaradossi in Tosca. In the summer of 2027, he returns to the Puccini Festival for Rodolfo in La Bohème.

Recent performances include his Metropolitan Opera debut as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, his role debut as Alfredo in La Traviata at the Arena di Verona, and appearances at the Puccini Festival as Cavaraddosi. Other notable performances include Radamès in Aida at Washington National Opera and  Opéra de Rouen Normandie, Roméo in Roméo and Juliette with Washington National Opera, Don José in Carmen at the Royal Ballet and Opera, Turiddu in Cavalleria rusticana with Kansas City Opera, Rodolfo in La Bohème at the Metropolitan Opera, Duca di Mantova in Verdi’s Rigoletto at Scottish National Opera, and the Prince in Dvořák’s Rusalka at Les Arts Valencia and Teatro di San Carlo. Among his most acclaimed recent successes was his debut at La Monnaie / De Munt as both Luigi and Rinuccio in a new Tobias Kratzer production of Puccini’s Il Trittico conducted by Alain Altinoglu. Bachtrack praised his performance, noting that “[the] tenor knows how to pierce the orchestral wall with insolence without neglecting, however, the line and the most subtle nuances.” Additional highlights include Luigi under the baton of Sir Mark Elder at the BBC Proms, Julien in Louise at both the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence and Opéra National de Lyon, Florestan in Fidelio at the Glyndebourne Festival, and his South American debut at Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo as Cavaradossi in Tosco, a role he has also performed with Opéra national de Paris, Staatsoper Hamburg, and English National Opera. 

Born in the UK, Mr. Smith began his musical studies with the violin at the age of four. Throughout his youth, he played in many orchestras including the National Children’s Orchestra of the United Kingdom. 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, and is now an International Artist in Opera at RNCM. 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.  An active presence on social media, he can be found on instagram, Facebook, X and TikTok: @adamsmithtenor. 

Adam Smith has worked with a distinguished list of conductors and directors including Calixto Bieito, Christof Loy, Dmitri Cherniakov, Daniel Ettinger, Andrea Breth, Mariame Clément, Alexander Joel, Daniel Kramer, Emmanuel Villaume, Sir Jonathan Miller, Tomaš Netopil, Giacomo Sagripanti, and Alberto Zedda among many others.