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 at the Royal Opera House, Cavaradossi in Tosca at the Staatsoper Hamburg and Roméo in Roméo et Juliette at Washington National Opera.
Adam Smith’s 2024/25 season begins with his role debut as Radamès in Verdi’s Aida at Opéra de Rouen Normandie, conducted by Pierre Bleuse. This is followed by his debut at Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, where he sings The Prince in Dvořák’s Rusalka alongside Asmik Grigorian in a new production by Dmitri Tcherniakov. To commence the new year, Adam Smith reprises the role of Pinkerton in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly as he returns to Opera national de Lyon. He then makes his debut at the Staatsoper Berlin as Pinkerton in a production by Eike Gramss. On the concert stage, he makes his debut in the Verdi Requiem in October with the Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, conducted by Carlo Goldstein.
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 and at the Staatsoper Hamburg, Turiddu in Cavalleria rusticana with Kansas City Opera, Roméo in Roméo et Juliette with Washington National Opera, Don José in Carmen at the Royal Opera House, Rodolfo in Puccini’s La bohème, Duca di Mantova in Verdi’s Rigoletto at Scottish National Opera, and the Prince in Dvořák’s Rusalka at Les Arts Valencia. 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, San Diego Opera and at the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence.
Adam Smith has worked with a distinguished list of conductors and directors including Calixto Bieito, Christof Loy, Andrea Breth, Mariame Clément, Alexander Joel, Daniel Kramer, Emmanuel Villaume, Daniele Rustioni, 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. An active presence on social media, he can be found on instagram, Facebook, X and TikTok @adamsmithtenor.