Russell_Thomas

Russell Thomas

Russell Thomas

American operatic tenor

For the African-American/Canadian musician, see Sayyd Abdul Al-Khabyyr. For the British politician, see Russell Thomas (politician).

Russell Thomas is an American operatic tenor. He has performed leading roles at some of the world's leading opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, the English National Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, among others.

Early life

Born in Miami, Florida, Thomas did not discover his voice until the age of 18, when a voice teacher suggested he could make a career out of singing.[1] He went on to study music at conservatory, and sang in the chorus of Miami Opera as an undergraduate. Thomas went on to be a young artist with Seattle Opera Young Artist Program, the Florida Grand Opera, the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and Sarasota Opera.[2]

Career

He has sung the role of Tito in Mozart's La clemenza di Tito and Rodolfo in Puccini's La Boheme at the Metropolitan Opera, and at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden he appeared as Gabriele Adorno in Verdi's Simon Boccanegra.[3] He performed the role of Canio in a 2021 online video of Ruggero Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, produced by Lyric Opera of Chicago.[4] He is the Artist in Residence for the Los Angeles Opera until 2024.[5]

Personal life

Thomas is an openly gay man who became a father through adoption.[6]

References

  1. [1]
    "Interview with tenor Russell Thomas | jacklivigni.com". Archived from the original on April 22, 2015. Retrieved Aug 7, 2020.
  2. [2]
    "Honor! A Celebration of the African American Cultural Legacy - Festival Artists - Russell Thomas". Archived from the original on 2014-09-30. Retrieved 2015-04-21.
  3. [3]
    "Get info about artists - Operabase". www.operabase.com. Retrieved Mar 28, 2019.
  4. [4]
    Pagliacci video, 2021, Lyric Opera of Chicago.
  5. [5]
    "Russell Thomas". Los Angeles. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  6. [6]
    "Superstar Tenor Russell Thomas on Being a Black Queer Man in Opera". www.advocate.com. 2022-12-09. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
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