Sean Michael Plumb sang Frank and Pierrot Fritz with equally fantastic Italian vocal technique and a sonorous, bright timbre, wonderfully in line and incredibly expressive. His very fervently performed song ‘Mein Sehnen, mein Wähnen’ was the highlight of the evening.
Der Operfreund, Klaus Billand
The younger Galileo is sung by Sean Michael Plumb; he is, I think, the most outstanding voice in the cast; powerful and true, it so easily fills the hall.
Broadway World, Steve Callahan
..without doing anything radical, the conductor — and one of the vocal soloists in particular — made an unusually strong case for the work. Two forces stood out. One was baritone Sean Michael Plumb, who managed an intimacy that made the distance in the hall disappear. He rightly heard his role as a lieder singer, using a palette of vocal colors to underscore emotion and meaning. The other great presence was the orchestra under Luisi.
The Philadelphia Inquirer, Peter Dobrin
The remarkable baritone Sean Michael Plumb displayed an instrument notable for its evenness of tone and overwhelming beauty. He shaded his genuinely lyric sound with darker, more desperate colors as the narrator grew ever more disillusioned by the caprices of fate.
Bachtrack, Cameron Kelsall
Some whiter snow was the news of this “Bohème” — alongside an unusually assertive, stylish Schaunard from the young baritone Sean Michael Plumb, in a small part that often fades into Zeffirelli’s teeming backgrounds.
The New York Times, Zachary Woolfe
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.
Bachtrack, Kevin W Ng
As Schaunard, Sean Michael Plumb displayed an impressive baritone and a ready smile, who can steal a scene with the best of them.
New York Classical Review, Rick Perdian
American baritone Sean Michael Plumb made his HGO debut in this Werther as Charlotte’s husband, Albert, singing with a smoothly attractive voice.
Opera News, Gregory Barnett
In his Met debut, baritone Sean Michael Plumb as Harlekin made a positive impression with a sunny relaxed demeanor and smooth vocalism. His bright manner and full-voiced singing convinced in the role more than the usual undervoiced barihunk.
Parterre, Eli Jacobson
Sean Michael Plumb, in his Met debut, was a frisky Harlequin with an impressive voice.
New York Classical Review, Nick Perdian
The leading couple were backed up by a superb supporting cast, many drawn from the theatre’s ensemble… Sean Michael Plumb stood out as Melot for his strong, vibrant baritone.
Bachtrack, Hugo Shirley
The star of the show [was] Sean Michael Plumb, whose warm, velvety baritone and onstage ease as the birdcacther Papageno promised wonderful things to come.
The Philadelphia Inquirer, David Patrick Stearns
Of these winners, the one to watch is Sean Michael Plumb, twenty-three, who turned loose his full, exciting lyric baritone in a joyous performance of Robert’s aria from Iolanta.
Opera News, Brian Kellow
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Discography
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.
The American artist has sung on many of the most important opera and concert stages around the world including The Metropolitan Opera, Bayersiche 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 role of Il barbiere di Siviglia, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Marcello and Schaunard in La bohème, Frank-Fritz in Die tote Stadt, Dandini in La cenerentola, Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos, and Younger Galileo in Glass’ Galileo Galilei.
In the 2024-25 season, Sean Michael Plumb returns both to the Bayersiche Staastoper for performances as Frank-Fritz in Die tote Stadt and to the Metropolitan Opera to perform the roles of Papageno in Mozart’s The Magic Flute and Schaunard in La bohème. In concert, the baritone sings Schoenberg’s Die Jakobsleiter in a performance led by Ingo Metzmacher at the Elbphilharmonie, Carmina Burana with Osmo Vänskä and The Cleveland Orchestra, and Melot in the Second Act of Tristan und Isolde with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle.
The 2023-24 season included performances of Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia at the Bayersiche Staastoper and Seattle Opera, Schaunard in La bohème the Metropolitan Opera, Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos at the Hong Kong Arts Festival, and Younger Galileo/Salviati in Galileo Galilei at the Opera Theatre Saint Louis. He also sang Carmina Burana with Fabio Luisi and the Philadelphia Orchestra both at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and Saratoga Performing Arts Center, and joined in the Richard Tucker Music Foundation Gala Concert at Carnegie Hall.
Sean Michael Plumb’s career has taken him around the world, with appearances on many of the most important global stages including Albert in Werther at the Houston Grand Opera, Harlekin in Ariadne auf Naxos at the Metropolitan Opera, Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen with the Ballet de l’Opéra national de Paris, and frequent appearances at the Bayerische Staatsoper in roles such as Guglielmo in Così fan tutte, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Dandini in La cenerentola, Schaunard in La bohème, Shchelkalov in Boris Godunov, and Prosdocimo in Il turco in Italia. His wide-ranging concert repertoire includes Carmina Burana, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, the Fauré Requiem, and many contemporary and world-premiere works.
The California native made his Bayerische Staatsoper debut in the 2015-16 season in the world premiere of Srnka’s South Pole. He was a valuable and vibrant member of the soloist ensemble of the company for a decade, and maintains a close relationship with the theater and the city of Munich. Winner of a 2022 Career Grant from the Richard Tucker Music Foundation, Sean Michael Plumb was honored by President Obama as a United States Presidential Scholar in the Arts at a ceremony at The White House and has garnered a multitude of other awards. He was graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music where he studied under renowned instructors Mikael Eliasen and William Stone.
Contact
General Management
Bill Palant, Étude Arts
Ansonia Station,Post Office Box 230132
New York, New York 10023
Tel: 929.777.0775
Email: [email protected]
Representation (Europe)
Askonas Holt
Nicholas Moloney, Senior Artist Manager
Email: [email protected]
www.askonasholt.com