Russell Thomas makes his role debut in the title role of Tannhäuser during HGO's 2024-25 season. He performed the title role in Parsifal with the company in 2024 and made his role and HGO debut as Radames in Aida in 2020; he also participated in that season’s inaugural Giving Voice recital at HGO. Other roles for the 2023-24 season include Álvaro in La forza del destino with Den Norske Opera, Radames in Aida at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Calaf in Turandot at LA Opera, Cavaradossi in Tosca with Royal Opera Covent Garden, and the title role in Don Carlos at Hamburg State Opera. Elsewhere, his performances include the Edinburgh International Festival and St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, a solo recital at the Kennedy Center, and the world premiere of Joel Thompson’s Fire and Blue Sky at LA Opera. Recently, he joined the MET Orchestra on their first international tour in over 20 years, singing Otello opposite Angel Blue at Carnegie Hall, Philharmonie de Paris, Barbican Centre, and Festspielhaus Baden-Baden. Thomas has enjoyed a string of operatic triumphs in key Verdi roles, including Ernani at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Don Carlo at the Metropolitan Opera, Otello at Los Angeles Opera, Canadian Opera Company, and Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Manrico in Il trovatore at Bavarian State Opera, Stiffelio at Opera Frankfurt, and Álvaro at Deutsche Oper Berlin and Paris Opera. Thomas is the Artist in Residence at LA Opera, where he curates the company’s After Hours recital series and has spearheaded new training programs designed to serve outstanding singers from historically Black colleges and universities and Los Angeles public high school students from underserved communities.