Arizona Opera Cast Members & Creatives

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' 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 over the coronavirus lockdown period. 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.

Highlights of the 2024/25 Season includes Cavaradossi in Tosca for The Metropolitan Opera, Cavaradossi & Calaf in Turandot for the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and Radamès in Aida for the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Additionally Baek makes his role debut as Rodolfo in La Bohème at Arizona Opera and returns to the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.

Last season, Baek made his much-anticipated Metropolitan Opera debut as Ismaele Nabucco, returning later in the season as Calaf Turandot. Other recent highlights include role debuts as Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Radamès in Aida & Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana at the Royal Opera House, a house debut at Teatro San Carlo as Calaf and role debut as Cavaradossi in Tosca with Arizona Opera.

On the concert platform, Baek recently made professional debuts with the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano in Verdi's Requiem, as well as with the Royal Danish Orchestra conducted by Bertrand de Billy. Other highlights include festival debuts at the Lanaudière Festival in a concert performance as Radamès in Aida conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and at the BBC Proms in Verdi's Requiem at the Royal Albert Hall, as well as appearances with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, alongside Elīna Garanča and conducted by Karel Mark Chichon.