Arizona Opera Cast Members & Creatives

Praised for his “healthy and soaring tenor voice” (Herald Times) and “brilliant physical grace, timing, and precision” (Broadway World), Korean-American tenor Brad Bickhardt is known for his versatility in both opera and musical theatre. The Pirates of Penzance marks his 10th appearance with Arizona Opera and previous 2025/26 engagements included performing Goro in Madama Butterfly with Opera Orlando, performing Hannibal in the regional tour of Weill/Brecht’s Happy End with The Glimmerglass Festival and Opera Saratoga, covering Goro in Madama Butterfly at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, a company he returns to in 2027. He performed the role of Alfredo in La Traviata with Livermore Valley Opera, sang Goro with the St. Barthélemy Music Festival, and joined Anchorage Opera as Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi.

On the concert stage, he performed as the tenor soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with the Santa Barbara Symphony. In the 2024/25 Season, he sang the role of Podesta in The Secret Gardener with Arizona Opera. He also made a return to Opera Theatre of St. Louis to sing Glenn in the World Premiere of This House by Ricky Ian Gordon and Lynn Nottage. During the 2023/24 Season, Bickhardt created the role of Felix in the World Premiere of Greg Kallor’s Frankenstein, and appeared as Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni and as Tybalt in Roméo & Juliette with Arizona Opera, and in the summer, he made a company debut with Opera Theatre of St. Louis as A Priest in Philip Glass’ Galileo Galilei. Additional roles with Arizona Opera include Tamino in The Magic Flute, and role debuts as the Tanzmeister & Scaramuccio in a new production of Ariadne auf Naxos and Jumper in The Falling and the Rising. In concert, Bickhardt has sung Schubert’s Mass in G, Mozart’s Missa Brevis in Bb, Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, and Handel’s Messiah with The Phoenix Symphony.

Bickhardt is an alumnus of the young artist programs of the Marion Roose Pullin Studio at Arizona Opera, The Gerdine Young Artist Program at Opera Theatre of St. Louis, The Glimmerglass Festival, Tri-Cities Opera, Opera Naples, Wolf Trap Opera, Opera Saratoga, and Charlottesville Opera. He holds both his Bachelor and Master degrees in Vocal Performance from Indiana University.