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 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.
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“Il tenore Adam Smith, che ha un’emissione aperta, larga…tuttavia d’effetto, è riuscito a sostenere con facilità questa parte tremenda con acuti sonori e tutte le mezze voci richieste da Gounod. È stato molto applaudito…”
– Opera Click
“Smith’s Romeo, meanwhile, is a heavy pour of passions. His tenor is beautifully suited to Gounod’s arguably Romeo-centric take on the tale — possessing enough authority to anchor the opera, and enough fragility that you fear the whole thing might snap in half. Disbelief didn’t stand a chance against their duets, which often strayed into the magical, especially the long goodbye of “O nuit divine je t’implore” and the final farewell of “Salut! Tombeau sombre et silencieux!”
– Washington Post
“Adam Smith, made an equally remarkable company debut. With more raw wattage in vocal power… the English tenor gave a performance marked by daring ease in the top range. He sang with endless strength, capable of delicate softness, especially matching with Feola on their four exquisite duets, but with no strain in the several high Bs of the Cavatina “Ah! lève-toi, soleil!”
– Washington Classical Review
“The surprise of the evening to me was just how good tenor Adam Smith was who played Romeo; he was an outstanding pairing with Ms. Feola. He proved to be a pure voiced tenor with excellent vocal power and a strong stage presence. I wanted to hit replay on their duet on the balcony late in Part One, a scene where the beautiful couple also displayed youthful agility scaling the wall. It was not the only time I wanted to hit replay for their arias and duets.”
– Opera Gene
“Smith meanwhile makes a tremendous Cavaradossi, his arias gloriously phrased, his way with words often immaculate, and his high notes thrillingly sustained…”
– The Guardian
“The British tenor Adam Smith is a sensation in the title role. He has all the necessary assets for Hoffmann: he has the youth, ardor and physical beauty, in addition to excellent French, with a particularly charming tone and a technique already accomplished for his thirty-two years.”
– Opera Online