Since the time of his professional debut in 2001 at the Seattle Opera singing the role of Donald in Benjamin Britten's Billy Budd, Morgan Smith has established himself as one of the most exciting young baritones in the Opera World today. He is known in particular for the musical versatility, athleticism and dramatic intensity that he brings to his performances. A graduate of Columbia College and the Mannes College of Music in New York City, Mr. Smith was recently heralded for his creation of first mate Starbuck in the “triumphant” World Premiere of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s Moby-Dick at The Dallas Opera. Critics praised his portrayal of Starbuck as “superb,” “intelligent,” “handsomely portrayed,” a rendition “sung and acted with hypnotic power,” “sonorous gravity,” and “mellifluous lyricism”-a “standout performance”(a highlight recording of the World Premiere cast will be available through Dallas Opera in April, 2012).

Mr. Smith returns to Oper Leipzig for the 2011-2012 season, performing Marcello in La bohéme, Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, and the role of sparbuchsen Bill in Kurt Weill’s The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. This season also marks Smith’s debut with San Diego Opera, where he will reprise the role of Starbuck in Moby-Dick, his Dallas Symphony debut, performing the role of Christus in Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, and a debut with the San Antonio Symphony, for the North American premiere of Vier Präludien und Ernste Gesänge, Detlef Glanert’s orchestral adaptation of the beloved cycle by Brahms.

Engagements in upcoming seasons include Starbuck in Moby-Dick with San Francisco Opera, Tadeusz in the North American Premiere of Weinberg’s The Passenger with Houston Grand Opera and the Lincoln Center Festival, Fritz in Die Tote Stadt with Dallas Opera, and Marcello in La bohéme with San Diego Opera.

During the 2010-2011 season Smith made his Opera Colorado debut as Marcello in La bohème. He then returned to Oper Leipzig where he sang the role of Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Marcello, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, and Whitelaw Savory in Weill’s One Touch of Venus.  He also performed the role of Manfred in the new, one-act opera version of Jake Heggie’s For a Look or a Touch, with the Seattle Men’s Chorus.

Mr. Smith made his European debut in the 2009-2010 season at the Berlin Staatsoper as Marcello in La bohème and Oper Leipzig singing Rossini’s Figaro, Papageno, Marcello and Leandre. In the 2008-2009 season audiences heard him as Escamillo in Carmen in Ft. Worth, Morales and Zuniga at LA Opera, and Papageno and Germont in Spokane and Skagit. Engagements for Mr. Smith in the 2007-2008 season included Escamillo with Tacoma Opera and Dandini in La Cenerentola with the Portland Opera.

Mr. Smith has performed with numerous opera companies and symphonies across North America including a  number of  roles at the Seattle Opera: the title role in Don Giovanni, Silvio in I Pagliacci, Riccardo in I Puritani, and Peter Niles in Mourning Becomes Electra. He has also performed with the San Francisco Opera, Portland Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, Sarasota Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Florentine Opera, El Paso Opera, the Pine Mountain Music Festival, Sun Valley Center for the Performing Arts, and the Bellingham Music Festival in the roles of Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro,  Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Marcello in La bohème, Don  Alvaro in Il Viaggio a Reims, Slook in La Cambiale di Matrimonio, Top  in The Tenderland, Belcore in L'elisir d'amore,  Guglielmo in Così fan tutte and Don Giovanni. Smith has also appeared with the National Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Portland Symphony, Seattle Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Omaha Symphony, Yakima Symphony, Ottawa Symphony, and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.

Morgan Smith is also well respected for his interpretation of modern chamber, orchestral, and operatic repertoire. Most recent accomplishments include the World Premiere and recording (NAXOS records) of the groundbreaking dramatic chamber work, For a Look or a Touch, by American composer Jake Heggie. Smith premiered the work in May of 2007 with Music of Remembrance in Seattle, WA, and an encore performance followed at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica in December of 2008. The new version of the work, a one-act opera for baritone, actor, piano quintet, percussion, and 200 voice men’s chorus (premiered in Seatle in April, 2011 ) will have a multi-city European Premiere tour in June, 2014. Smith also recently created the role of Ted Steinert in the World Premiere of Frau Margot (recording available through Albany records) by Thomas Pasetieri and Frank Corsaro at the Fort Worth Opera. Credits also include the role of “Harry or Larry” in the New York premiere of Elliot Carter’s What Next? at The Miller Theater, covering Gerald Finley as Robert Oppenheimer, in the World Premiere production of John Adams' Dr. Atomic for the San Francisco Opera, the World Premiere of a work by Richard Cumming with the Hartford Symphony, entitled, Aspects of Hippolytus, and the title role in the Tony Kushner/Maurice Sendak adaptation of Hans Krasa's children's opera, Brundibar (recording available through NAXOS records), with Seattle's Music of Remembrance under the baton of Gerard Schwarz.