Performance Year: 2025
SeokJong Baek has continued to draw international attention following his Royal Opera House debut as Samson in Richard Jones’s new production of Saint-Saëns’s Samson et Dalila and is fast establishing himself as an artist of note, winning widespread praise for his arresting lirico/spinto sound and refined technical accomplishment. Baek’s critically acclaimed portrayal of Samson was not only a house and role debut, but also his professional debut as a tenor, having transitioned from baritone. As a baritone, he was an Adler Fellow and a member of the Merola Programme at the San Francisco Opera, as well as a former resident artist of the Lyric Opera of Kansas and an alumnus of the Manhattan School of Music.
During the 2023/24 Season, Baek made a number of major house and role debuts across Europe and the US, including his much-anticipated Metropolitan Opera debut as Ismaele in Nabucco, Calaf in Turandot, and his role debut as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly at the Royal Opera House. Other recent highlights include role debuts as Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana at the Royal Opera House, Cavaradossi in Tosca with Arizona Opera, Radamès in Aida at the Royal Opera House, and Verdi’s Requiem with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome.
