Sean MichaelPlumb

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  • Baritone

About Sean Michael

Hailed for his “full, exciting lyric baritone” (Opera News) and “elegant lyricism and responsive musicality” (The New York Times), Sean Michael Plumb is one of the most dynamic and compelling baritones of his generation.

Sean has sung on many of the most important opera and concert stages around the world including The Metropolitan Opera, Bayerische Staastoper, Salzburger Festspiele, Opéra national de Paris, Opéra national de Lyon, Houston Grand Opera, Dallas Opera, Seattle Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, and Heidelberger Frühling.

His broad operatic repertoire includes the title roles of Billy Budd and Il barbiere di Siviglia, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Frank-Fritz in Die tote Stadt, Dandini in La cenerentola, Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos, and Younger Galileo in Glass’ Galileo Galilei.

In the 2025-26 season, Sean Michael Plumb makes a role debut as Marcello in La bohème at Semperoper Dresden and also performs Papageno in Die Zauberflöte with the Saxon company. Return engagements of the season include Schaunard in La bohème at the Metropolitan Opera and the title role of Billy Budd for the Opéra national de Lyon in performances led by Finnegan Downie Dear. On the concert stage he appears with Yannick Nézet-Séguin singing the role of Melot in Tristan und Isolde at the Festival Lanaudiere and joins Gustavo Gimeno and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra for performances of Carmina Burana.

Highlights of last season include a South American debut in the title role of Billy Budd at the Teatro Colón, the roles of Frank-Fritz in Die tote Stadt at the Bayerische Staastoper, and repertoire performances of The Magic Flute and La bohème at the Metropolitan Opera. Concert appearances included Schoenberg’s Die Jakobsleiter with Ingo Metzmacher at the Elbphilharmonie, Carmina Burana with Osmo Vänskä and The Cleveland Orchestra, Fauré’s Requiem with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Carnegie Hall, and Melot in the Second Act of Tristan und Isolde with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle.

Recent season standouts include Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia at the Bayerische Staastoper and Seattle Opera, Schaunard in La bohème at the Metropolitan Opera, Maximilian in Candide with Opéra national de Lyon, Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos at the Metropolitan Opera and Hong Kong Arts Festival, Albert in Werther at the Houston Grand Opera, and Younger Galileo/Salviati in Galileo Galilei at the Opera Theatre Saint Louis. He was baritone soloist in performances of Carmina Burana with Fabio Luisi and the Philadelphia Orchestra both at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and Saratoga Performing Arts Center as well as with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, sang Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen with the Ballet de l’Opéra national de Paris, and joined in the Richard Tucker Music Foundation Gala Concert at Carnegie Hall.

Sean Michael is based in New York, USA

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Contact

Ivo Ivanov

Ivo Ivanov

Assistant Artist Manager

Representation

Worldwide general management with Askonas Holt

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Season Highlights

Aug 2025 - Aug 2025
Festival de Lanaudiere, Quebec
Tristan und Isolde (Melot) Yannick Nézet-Séguin (conductor)
Aug 2025 - Dec 2025
Semperoper Dresden
La bohème (Marcello) Stefano Ranzani (conductor)
Oct 2025 - Nov 2025
The Metropolitan Opera, New York
La bohème (Schaunard)
Dec 2025 - May 2026
Semperoper, Dresden
Die Zauberflöte (Papageno)
Mar 2026 - Apr 2026
Opera de Lyon
Billy Budd (Billy Budd)
Jul 2026 - Jul 2026
Festival Aix-en-Provence
Die Zauberflöte (Papageno)

Photos

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Selected Repertoire

Adams

Nixon in China (Chou-En Lai)

Berlioz

Béatrice et Bénédict (Claudio)

Bernstein

Candide (Maximilian)   •   West Side Story (Riff)

Bizet

Les Pêcheurs de perles (Zurga)

Britten

Albert Herring (Sid)   •   Billy Budd (Billy Budd)   •   A Midsummer Night's Dream (Demetrius)   •   Owen Wingrave (Owen Wingrave)   •   Peter Grimes (Ned Keene)

Debussy

Pelléas et Mélisande (Pelléas)

Donizetti

Don Pasquale (Malatesta)   •   L’elisir d’amore (Belcore)

Gluck

Iphigénie en Tauride (Oreste)

Gounod

Faust (Valentin)   •   Roméo et Juliette (Mercutio)

Heggie

The End of the Affair (Maurice Bendrix)   •   It’s a Wonderful Life (Harry Bailey)

Korngold

Die tote Stadt (Frank-Fritz)

Massenet

Manon (Lescaut)   •   Thaı̈s (Athanaël)   •   Werther (Albert)

Mazzoli

Breaking the Waves (Jan)

Mozart

Cosı̀ fan tutte (Guglielmo)   •   Le nozze di Figaro (Conte Almaviva)   •   Die Zauberflöte (Papageno)

Mussorgsky

Boris Godunov (Andrey Shchelkalov)

Picker

An American Tragedy (Clyde Griffiths)

Poulenc

Les mamelles de Tirésias (Theatre Director)

Puccini

La bohème (Marcello / Schaunard)   •   Manon Lescaut (Lescaut)

Purcell

Dido and Aeneas (Aeneas)

Ravel

L’heure espagnole (Ramiro)

Rossini

Il barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro)   •   La cenerentola (Dandini)   •   Le comte Ory (Raimbaud)   •    L’italiana in Algeri (Taddeo)   •    Il turco in Italia (Prosdocimo)

Spears

Fellow Travelers (Hawkins Fuller)

Strauss, J.

Die Fledermaus (Frank)

Strauss, R.

Ariadne auf Naxos (Harlekin)   •   Capriccio (Olivier)

Szymanowski

King Roger (King Roger)

Tchaikovsky

Eugene Onegin (Onegin)   •   The Queen of Spades (Yeletsky), Iolanta (Robert)

Tesori

Grounded (Sensor)

Ullmann

Der Kaiser von Atlantis (Emperor Überall)

Verdi

Don Carlos (Rodrigue)

Wagner

Tristan und Isolde (Melot)

News

Press

  • Britten - Billy Budd (Billy Budd)

    Opéra de Lyon
    Mar 2026 - Apr 2026

    • Enfin, Sean Michael Plumb compose un Billy irradiant tant scéniquement que vocalement. Son émission franche et lumineuse lui permet de survoler les scènes de groupe. Il trouve dans son dernier monologue toute l’intériorité du jeune homme résolu devant la mort. Finally, Sean Michael Plumb delivers a performance as Billy that shines both on stage and vocally. His clear, luminous delivery allows him to command the ensemble scenes. In his final monologue, he captures the inner strength of a young man facing death with resolve.

    • Protagonista è il baritono americano Sean Michael Plumb, perfetta incarnazione del marinaio buono e bello quanto dal destino drammatico, che balbetta e sa rispondere solo con la violenza di un omicidio. Il suo canto sa esprimere con la stessa intensità dolcezza e allegria quanto dolore e rassegnazione, che sa essere leggero quando canta con i suoi compagni marinai quanto drammaticamente toccante nelle scene finali prima della sua esecuzione. The protagonist is the American baritone Sean Michael Plumb, the perfect embodiment of the handsome, good-natured sailor with a tragic fate, who stammers and can only respond with the violence of murder. His singing expresses sweetness and joy with the same intensity as pain and resignation; it is light-hearted when he sings with his fellow sailors, yet dramatically poignant in the final scenes before his execution.

    • Dans le rôle-titre, Sean Michael Plumb s’impose avec évidence. Il incarne avec finesse cette figure à part au sein de l’équipage... Sa physionomie juvénile, son visage encore empreint d’innocence et sa voix d’une douceur singulière traduisent parfaitement cette marginalité lumineuse. L’interprète rend avec justesse toutes les facettes du personnage : ses moments d’aphasie mais aussi ses élans de tendresse, notamment dans la scène du rêve où affleure la prémonition de sa fin tragique. Cette scène constitue naturellement le sommet émotionnel de la soirée : c'est un adieu poignant à la vie, mais aussi aux idéaux d’humanité et de justice. In the title role, Sean Michael Plumb is clearly the standout. He portrays this unique figure within the crew with great subtlety... His youthful appearance, his face still bearing traces of innocence, and his voice of singular gentleness perfectly capture this luminous outsider quality. The actor accurately renders every facet of the character: his moments of speechlessness, but also his outbursts of tenderness, particularly in the dream sequence where a premonition of his tragic end surfaces. This scene naturally constitutes the emotional high point of the evening: it is a poignant farewell to life, but also to the ideals of humanity and justice.

    • La distribution réunie pour cette production est de très haute tenue. Dans le rôle-titre, Sean Michael Plumb allie un timbre solide, des mediums et des graves chaleureux, ainsi qu’une présence scénique suffisamment gauche, en conformité avec la fragilité du personnage. The cast assembled for this production is of the very highest calibre. In the title role, Sean Michael Plumb combines a robust tone with warm mid-range and lower registers, as well as a stage presence that is suitably awkward, in keeping with the character’s fragility.

    • En Billy Budd, Sean Michael Plumb impose un timbre dense, chaleureux. Ses médiums amples et ses graves solides donnent une belle consistance à l’innocent broyé par l’homosexualité refoulée de Claggart. Son dernier arioso, conduit avec une expressivité proche du Lied, émeut durablement. As Billy Budd, Sean Michael Plumb brings a rich, warm tone to the role. His full-bodied mid-range and solid lower register lend great depth to the innocent young man crushed by Claggart’s repressed homosexuality. His final arioso, delivered with an expressiveness reminiscent of the Lied, leaves a lasting impression.

    • Le baryton américain Sean Michael Plumb, que l’on a souvent apprécié à l’Opéra de Munich dans divers rôles secondaires, est le jeune Billy Budd. Il donne à son personnage cette simplicité juvénile et lumineuse, qui ne disjoncte que lorsqu’il est confronté à une intense émotion. La voix sait se parer de mille couleurs reflétant cette insouciance et cette véritable joie de vivre et envie de servir son prochain qui caractérise le jeune marin. The American baritone Sean Michael Plumb, whom we have often enjoyed seeing at the Munich Opera in various supporting roles, plays the young Billy Budd. He imbues his character with a youthful, radiant simplicity that only falters when he is confronted with intense emotion. His voice is capable of taking on a thousand hues, reflecting the carefree nature, genuine joie de vivre and desire to serve others that characterise the young sailor.

    • Hissé au sommet de la distribution, Sean Michael Plumb n’incarne pas, il est Billy : naturel, exalté, frémissant, juvénile, enthousiaste, volubile, emporté, irrésistible en spontanéité, l’acteur brûle les planches d’entrée de jeu tandis que le baryton sidère par son velours et un flegme singulier dans cette tessiture longue montant jusqu’au la. Plutôt clair de timbre, sonore, il passe aisément d’une émission de poitrine à la voix mixte voire de fausset. Sommet de son interprétation, le monologue ouvrant le IV, émis tel un Lied, surabonde en raffinements et sensibilité, se conjuguant idéalement à une pantomime où il s’en remet à l’aumônier du bord. At the very top of the cast, Sean Michael Plumb doesn’t just play Billy, he is Billy: natural, impassioned, vibrant, youthful, enthusiastic, talkative, impetuous, irresistibly spontaneous, the actor lights up the stage from the very start, whilst the baritone astounds with his velvety tone and a singular composure in this wide range extending up to A. With a rather bright timbre and a resonant voice, he moves effortlessly from chest voice to mixed voice and even falsetto. The highlight of his performance, the monologue opening Act IV, delivered like a Lied, is brimming with refinement and sensitivity, blending perfectly with a pantomime in which he entrusts himself to the ship’s chaplain.

    • El protagonista de Sean Michael Plumb, un Billy rozagante, sumamente jovial y positivo, se creció en la desgracia y su gran escena final —musicalmente una joya— fue tan impresionante como debe. Los aplausos y expresiones de admiración fueron merecidamente intensos al final del espectáculo. Sean Michael Plumb’s protagonist, a radiant, supremely cheerful and positive Billy, rose to the occasion in the face of adversity, and his grand final scene—a musical gem—was as impressive as it should be. The applause and expressions of admiration at the end of the show were deservedly enthusiastic.

    • Le baryton Américain Sean Michael Plumb campe un Billy Budd athlétique, d’une personnalité très extravertie, mais a chanté sa ballade lors de sa dernière nuit avec une intensité déchirante. The American baritone Sean Michael Plumb portrays an athletic Billy Budd with a highly extroverted personality, yet sang his ballad on his final night with heart-rending intensity.

  • Puccini - La Bohème (Schaunard)

    The Metropolitan Opera
    Oct 2025 - Nov 2025

    • Sean Michael Plumb has become one of the Met’s go-to Schaunards, and his characterization gets richer and nuanced with each repetition. His singing in the first act was notable for the fine shadings and colorings that he employed.

    • Sean Michael Plumb was playful in the role of Schaunard, particularly in the Act four scenes “dance” and “fight” where he played up the antics. His baritone contrasted nicely with that of Meachum, providing a more relaxed and lighter color to the overall intense quartet.

  • Britten - Billy Budd (Billy Budd)

    Teatro Colon
    Jul 2025

    • Plumb gave us a youthful Billy. His baritone is in excellent shape, so handsome in tone, with a rich, full bottom, a middle firm of tone, and a seemingly unlimited top. There was a wide-eyed innocence to his singing, that freshness of tone making Billy sound impetuous and full of life. Yet Plumb also found an introspection to his Darbies aria, founded on a smooth, even legato that gave a great amount of pleasure. This was a role debut for Plumb and, with the handsomeness of the tone and enthusiastic stage presence, it’s a role he was undoubtedly born to sing. A notable debut from this genuine and generous artist.

    • Extraordinario fue el Billy del barítono Sean Michael Plumb, perplejo y seguro a la vez, de timbre satinado, se diría; en “Look! Through the port comes the moon-shine astray!”, su preciosa aria del final, fue indecidible dónde terminaba la resignación y empezaba la esperanza. Extraordinary was baritone Sean Michael Plumb's Billy, at once perplexed and confident, satin-toned, one might say; in "Look! Through the port comes the moon-shine astray!", his beautiful aria at the end, it was undecidable where resignation ended and hope began.

  • Puccini - La Bohème (Schaunard)

    The Metroplitan Opera
    May 2025

    • Sean Michael Plumb seized every moment available to Schaunard with added comic bits while his blank despair in the final scene was touching.

  • Puccini - La Bohème (Schaunard)

    The Metropolitan Opera
    Jan 2025 - Jan 2025

  • Tristan und Isolde (Act II) - Melot

    Munich
    Nov 2024 - Nov 2024

    • Enfin, Sean Michael Plumb ne bénéfice que de quelques répliques de Melot (et une de Kurwenal), mais il y fait entendre une voix de baryton aigu très intéressante, à la projection aisée, qui s’inscrit parfaitement dans l’excellence générale.

    • Ein „Heimspiel“ als Ensemblemitglied der Bayerischen Staatsoper hat Sean Michael Plumb, in der Doppelrolle als Melot und Kurwenal agiert er solide.

  • Die Tote Stadt (Frank and Fritz)

    Bayerische Staatsoper
    Oct 2024

    • Das war eine ganz große Leistung! Nicht minder zu begeistern wusste der Bariton Sean Michael Plumb, der den Frank und den Pierrot Friz mit ebenfalls phantastischer italienischer Gesangstechnik und sonorem hellem Timbre wunderbar auf Linie und ungemein ausdrucksstark sang. Sein sehr inbrünstig dargebotenes Lied Mein Sehnen, mein Wähnen, geriet zum Höhepunkt des Abends!

    • Sean Michael Plumb gab den Frank und Fritz mit einem klangschönen Bariton, sodass das Lied des Pierrot ebenfalls zu einem kleinen Höhepunkt wurde.

    • Notevole anche Sean Michael Plumb nel ruolo di Frank/Fritz e la sua interpretazione del lied di Pierrot “Mein Sehnen, mein Wähnen”, nostalgica al punto giusto.

    • Sean Michael Plumb präsentiert auch in der Doppelrolle Frank/ Fritz seinen kräftigen Bariton in dunkler Färbung, den er facettenreich einsetzt. Seine bekannte Arie "Mein Sehnen mein Wähnen" gelingt ihm mit Gefühl und guter Intonation.

  • Seattle Opera - The Barber of Seville (Figaro)

    Seattle Opera
    May 2024

    • From his charismatic entrance, accompanied by the famous cavatina "Largo al factotum", and recalling the aura of a real rock star like Elvis Presley, the Figaro played by Plumb immediately conquered the audience with his energy and audacity, sparking thunderous applause among the spectators. Plumb demonstrated good mastery of rapid syllables, with full, timbred centers and high notes and good homogeneity across the entire vocal range.

  • Rossini - Il barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro)

    Bayerische Staatsoper
    Nov 2023 - Nov 2023

    • Sean Michael Plumb ofrece un Fígaro bien timbrado, con un centro potente y dúctil, así como con luminosos agudos. La línea de canto es limpia, clara, con rica dinámica y siempre debidamente expresiva: un barbero como debe ser. Sean Michael Plumb delivers a well-toned Figaro, with a powerful and ductile centre, as well as luminous trebles. The singing line is clean, clear, richly dynamic and always suitably expressive: a barber as it should be.

  • Puccini - La Bohème (Schaunard)

    The Metropolitan Opera
    Oct 2023 - Nov 2023

    • an … assertive, stylish Schaunard from the young baritone Sean Michael Plumb,

    • American baritone Sean Michael Plumb as Schaunard was jovial and a perfect member of this season’s cast. His voice is full of life and character as he sings. His eyes glistened and his facial expressions matched the tone. [Plumb recently debuted at the Met last year, 2022, as Harlekin in “Ariadne auf Naxos” led by Marek Janowski.] He is definitely a singer on the rise!

    • Sean Michael Plumb’s Schaunard was a standout, with a warm, elegant baritone that projected easily through the auditorium. He also has an engaging stage presence, dispatching the physical comedy of the final act with a youthful naturalness.

    • Plumb displayed an impressive baritone and a ready smile, who can steal a scene with the best of them.

  • Mussorgski- Boris Godunov (Andrej Schtschelkalow)

    Bayerische Staatsoper
    Jul 2023

    • Sean Michael Plumb a repris avec une belle réussite le rôle de Chtchelkalov, timbre suave, beau phrasé, tenu à la création de la production par l’alors jeune Igor Golovatenko qui a fait du chemin depuis. Sean Michael Plumb has successfully taken on the role of Shchelkalov, with his suave timbre and beautiful phrasing, played at the production's premiere by the then young Igor Golovatenko, who has come a long way since then.

    • Tant le Chtchelkalov de Sean Michael Plumb que le Grigori de Dmytro Popov font montre d’un chant irréprochable et d’une belle présence dramatique. Both Sean Michael Plumb's Shchelkalov and Dmytro Popov's Grigori display impeccable singing and a fine dramatic presence.

  • Britten - Peter Grimes (Ned Keene)

    Bayerische Staatsoper
    Sep 2022

    • Dans les rôles secondaires, Sean Michael Plumb (Ned Keene) se fait remarquer grâce à sa liberté et sa puissance vocales, qu’il emploie stratégiquement pour expliciter le côté tantôt comique, tantôt pervers de son personnage. In the supporting roles, Sean Michael Plumb (Ned Keene) stands out for his vocal freedom and power, which he uses strategically to make his character's comic and perverse sides clear.

  • Strauss - Ariadne auf Naxos (Harlekin)

    The Metropolitan Opera
    Mar 2022

    • Sean Michael Plumb, in his Met debut, was a frisky Harlequin with an impressive voice.

    • Plumb has an appealing baritone that has a rich warm sound that in a larger role will definitely shine when he returns to the Met. In his short song, “Lieben, Hassen, Hoffen, Zagen,” his voice displayed roundness and gorgeous legato.

  • Mozart - Così fan tutte (Guglielmo)

    Bayerische Staatsoper
    Nov 2018

    • beindruckend lässiger Eleganz vorgetragener Bariton überzeugt von Beginn an mit unglaublichem Facettenreichtum. Da entsteht eine bunte bergige Herbstlandschaft, die durch fantastisches Detailreichtum zu überzeugen weiß. Feine Verzierungen werden mit höchster Hingabe gesungen, alles wirkt dennoch aus einem Guss und mit goldenem Glanze veredelt. Toll!" The baritone's impressively casual elegance is convincing from the outset with an incredible wealth of facets. A colourful, mountainous autumn landscape is created, which impresses with its fantastic wealth of detail. Delicate ornaments are sung with the utmost dedication, yet everything seems to be cast from a single mould and refined with a golden sheen. Great!"

    • Sean Michael Plumb was a very fine Guglielmo. The voice full of youthful sheen, sung off the text, in a warm, handsome baritone. He pulled out a lovely legato in ‘il core vi dono’ and his ‘donne mie’ was sung with wit, charm as well as frustration brought out through the words.

Discography