Bio
Praised by Opera News as a “vocally charismatic” performer with a “golden tenor,” Martin Bakari‘s recent engagements include the title role in Charlie Parker’s Yardbird (Atlanta Opera, Arizona Opera, Pittsburgh Opera), the tenor soloist in Carmina Burana (Cecilia Chorus of New York – Carnegie Hall), Don Basilio in Le nozze di Figaro (Seattle Opera and Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival), Goro in Madama Butterfly (Dallas Opera), Prince Claus in Mark Adamo’s Becoming Santa Claus (Chicago Opera Theater), Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville (Intermountain Opera Bozeman), The Cartography Project (Washington National Opera and the Kennedy Center), and a United Kingdom recital tour with Mirror Visions Ensemble. Internationally, he has also appeared at major venues in Munich, Hamburg, Dresden, Frankfurt, Cologne, Tel Aviv, and Bari. In the 2022-23 season, Mr. Bakari sings the tenor soloist in the premiere of Paul Moravec’s A Nation of Others (Oratorio Society of New York – Carnegie Hall), Charlie Parker in Yardbird (New Orleans Opera and Dayton Opera), Frederic in Pirates of Penzance (Virginia Opera), the tenor soloist in Messiah (Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra), Pong in Turandot (Opera Colorado), Jalil/Wakil/Guard in the premiere of A Thousand Splendid Suns (Seattle Opera), the tenor soloist in Carmina Burana (Symphony San Jose), a concert of arias and songs (Harlem Chamber Players), and recitals of Paul Laurence Dunbar songs (Seattle Opera) and German Lieder with pianist Byron Schenkman (Benaroya Hall – Seattle). Mr. Bakari’s 2023-24 season includes Mime in Das Rheingold (Seattle Opera), Dr. Caius in Falstaff and Wilson (cover) in the premiere of Jake Heggie’s Intelligence (Houston Grand Opera), and the tenor soloist in Messiah (Oratorio Society of New York – Carnegie Hall). A 2018 George London Competition award winner, Mr. Bakari’s recording of Grigory Smirnov’s Dowson Songs (Naxos) was featured by Opera News as a “Critic’s Choice” album. Mr. Bakari is an alumnus of the Juilliard School, Boston University, and Tanglewood Music Center.