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, Dayton Opera, New Orleans Opera, Indianapolis Opera), the tenor soloist in Carmina Burana (Cecilia Chorus of NY at Carnegie Hall), Kodály’s Psalmus Hungaricus (Grant Park Music Festival), Messiah (Oratorio Society of NY at Carnegie Hall), Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance (Virginia Opera, Kentucky Opera), Goro in Madama Butterfly (Dallas Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Utah Opera), Mime in Das Rheingold (Seattle Opera), Dr. Caius in Falstaff (Houston Grand Opera), Pong in Turandot (Opera Colorado), Don Basilio in Le nozze di Figaro (Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival, Seattle Opera), The Cartography Project (Washington National Opera, The Kennedy Center), and a United Kingdom recital tour (Mirror Visions Ensemble). Internationally, he has also appeared at major venues in Munich, Hamburg, Dresden, Frankfurt, Cologne, Tel Aviv, and Bari. His 2025-26 season includes all three tenor roles in performances and a commercial recording of L’enfant et les sortilèges (Barcelona Symphony Orchestra), Ernesto in Don Pasquale (Opéra de Baugé), Sportin’ Life in Porgy and Bess (Dayton Opera), Goro in Madama Butterfly (Opera Colorado), Bill Watson/Lloyd the Bartender in The Shining (Nashville Opera), Zweiter Schäfer in Daphne (Seattle Opera), and the tenor soloist in Laitman’s Vedem (Music of Remembrance), The Ordering of Moses (The Syracuse Orchestra), Messiah (Pacific Symphony, Boise Philharmonic), and On Wenlock Edge (Cannon Beach Music Festival). 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 the Tanglewood Music Center. www.martinbakari.com