American tenor Russell Thomas established his reputation in key lyric roles including Don Carlo, Manrico (Il trovatore), Don Alvaro (La forza del destino) and Pollione (Norma). An alumnus of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Program, he has since returned to New York for Don Carlo, Rodolfo (La bohème) and, most recently, his debut as Kaiser (Die Frau ohne Schatten) under Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Recent highlights elsewhere include role debuts as Ernani for Lyric Opera of Chicago and the title roles in Tannhäuser for Houston Grand Opera under Erik Nielsen and Werther for Canadian Opera Company, as well as appearances as Don Alvaro and Don José (Carmen) for Paris Opera and Canio (I Pagliacci) for Lyric Opera of Chicago. He made his Royal Opera debut in 2013 as Gabriele Adorno (Simon Boccanegra) and has since returned for the title role in Otello and Calaf (Turandot).