For his 2023 house début with Scottish Opera as Don Jose in Carmen: Indian-American tenor Alok Kumar is described by THE GUARDIAN as “a knockout… technically assured, his singing resonates with the raw pathos of a man on the edge – and his acting… equally compelling;” by BACHTRACK as “a commanding presence with a depth and resounding resonance, exhilarating as he faced up Carmen at the end;” and THE SPECTATOR remarks “Kumar’s tenor is certainly ardent. There’s something in the way he socks those top notes towards the gods…”

In 2023 and 2024, Alok Kumar reprises his Don Jose in Carmen in house debuts with Scottish Opera (UK) and Vancouver Opera (Canada), and makes two more house debuts with Portland Opera and Fort Worth Opera (USA) in Kamala Sankaram’s opera Thumbprint and as Rodolfo in La Boheme. He returns to Hong Kong Musica Viva for his role debut as Percy in Donizetti’s Anna Bolena. In concert, invitations include those from each San Diego Symphony, The Cleveland Orchestra and The New Choral Society for Verdi’s Requiem, Puccini’s La Fanciulla del West, and Mozart’s Requiem. Upcoming with the Orchestra of Scottish Opera led by Stuart Stratford, he sings excerpts from Bizet’s Les pêcheurs de perles, Gounod’s Faust, and Massenet’s Werther, in The French Collection concert.

Mr. Kumar has worked with conductors Marek Janowski, Susanna Mälkki, Riccardo Frizza, Dane Lam, Maria Badstue, Kensho Watanabe, Bertrand de Billy, Marco Armiliato, James Conlon, Valerio Galli, Joseph Riscigno, Ramón Tebar and Lio Kuokman, with recent invitations to sing under Franz Welser-Möst and Rafael Payare, and upcoming with Miguel Harth-Bedoya.

Mr. Kumar made a series of monumental débuts starting with his Royal Opera House and London Philharmonic Orchestra début creating the role of Chyavana in the world premiere of Ravi Shankar’s opera Sukanya, a work harmonizing the distinct music, dance and theatrical traditions of India and the West. He made his Los Angeles Opera début in La Traviata and with the company subsequently sang leading roles in Moses and The Count of Monte Cristo. Additionally, Mr. Kumar participated in the Intimate Apparel workshop with Lincoln Center and appeared in Houston Grand Opera’s HGOco serial web opera entitled “Star Cross’d.” In 2019-2020 Kumar performed in the world première of Robert Paterson’s Chamber Version of Spring Songs at the Mostly Modern Festival, made his Opera Omaha début in the role of Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, as well as returned to the London Philharmonic Orchestra for the revival of Sukanya. 2020 cancelations included a company debut with Opera Hong Kong as Don José in Carmen, and concerts of Verdi’s Requiem in New York City, and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with Orquesta Filarmónica de Jalisco in Guadalajara, Mexico.

The Metropolitan Opera has been a force in his career and role development. His 2018 début in Puccini’s La Fanciulla del West led to the esteemed house immediately inviting him to stay on as Rinuccio* in Gianni Schicchi. In 2019-2020 he was invited to make role debuts as The Italian Singer in Der Rosenkavalier and Steuermann in Der Fliegende Holländer. Engagements in 2020 and 2021 were to include multiple appearances in Kat’a Kabanova (Váňa Kudrjaš), Die Frau ohne Schatten (Die Erscheinung eines Jünglings), Aida (The Messenger) and Fidelio (Jachino). He returned to the Metropolitan Opera in 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 for productions of Ariadne auf Naxos (Scaramuccio), Lucia di Lammermoor (Normanno), The Rake’s Progress (Tom Rakewell), Don Carlo (Conte di Lerma) and The Hours (Louis).

In recent seasons he performed with the Forte Tenors, Don José in Bizet’s Carmen with Michigan Opera Theater, Florida Grand Opera and Musica Viva in Hong Kong, reprised the role of the Duke of Mantua in Palm Beach Opera’s production of Verdi’s Rigoletto, débuted as Macduff in Verdi’s Macbeth under the baton of Emmanuel Plasson, sang Robert Paterson’s Batter’s Box and Spring Songs with American Modern Ensemble at Carnegie Hall, and appeared in New York City Opera’s production of Respighi’s rarely performed opera La Campana Sommersa. International engagements include débuts at Canada’s le Domaine Forget International Music Festival as Don José in La tragedie de Carmen and a concert of French operatic excerpts in France under the direction of Michel Plasson.

Favorite operatic roles in Mr. Kumar’s repertoire include Rodolfo in La bohème, Cavaradossi in Tosca, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Lensky in Eugene Onegin, Des Grieux in Manon Lescaut, the title roles in Werther and Les contes d’Hoffmann. Other roles performed in concert include his portrayal of Pinkerton in the love duet from Puccini’s Madama Butterfly with the Cincinnati Pops/Cincinnati Opera led by John Morris Russell and as Alfredo in La Traviata with Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra.

Other concert engagements include Dvorak’s Stabat Mater with the Fairfield County Chorale, as well as a series of summer concerts with the Bay Atlantic Symphony featuring Italian operatic repertoire. He has appeared with symphonies and orchestras in Spain, California, Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Texas and Massachusetts, including in Symphony Hall with the Boston Pops for the Richard Rodgers Centennial and in Sanders Theater with the Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra. Additionally, Mr. Kumar has performed in a gala concert at the Sanibel Music Festival in Florida, made his début at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles as a soloist in Galvany’s Oh My Son, made his début as tenor soloist in the New York premiere of Stephen Paulus’ To Be Certain of the Dawn at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium and performed as a soloist in Bay Atlantic Symphony’s A Night at the Opera New Year’s Eve concert. In the recital forum, Mr. Kumar unveiled a solo recital of Romani-influenced art songs at the Ware Center in Lancaster, PA before singing a benefit concert at the Lucas Theater in Savannah, GA featuring works by Puccini, Bizet, Verdi and Massenet.

Alok Kumar is an alumnus of The Peabody Conservatory of Music, Rice University’s Shephard School of Music, Boston University’s Opera Institute and Suffolk Law School. He resides in Los Angeles, CA with his wife and daughter, and maintains a private law practice.

*indicates a role cover