Photo by Kristina Sherk
BIOGRAPHY
Sean Panikkar continues “to position himself as one of the stars of his generation… His voice is unassailable—firm, sturdy and clear, and he employs it with maximum dramatic versatility” [Opera News]. The tenor is lauded by both the public and press for his impressive vocal agility, impeccable musicianship, and a keen dramatic sense throughout a broad range of principal roles on leading international operatic stages.
Highlights of the 2024-25 season include the role of Loge in a new production of Das Rheingold at the Bayerische Staatsoper directed by Tobias Kratzer and conducted by Music Director Vladimir Jurowski, The Bridegroom in the Australian premiere at the Adelaide Festival of the gripping one-act drama from Kaija Saariaho and Sofi Oksanen, Innocence, directed by Simon Stone and conducted by Saariaho specialist Clément Mao-Takacs, and a role debut as Peter Grimes at Opéra national de Lyon in the Christof Loy milestone realization of Britten’s dark masterpiece. The tenor makes his London Symphony Orchestra debut at the invitation of Sir Antonio Pappano in a program of Tippett’s A Child of Our Time paired with Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
Sean Panikkar made his debut last season at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in a new production of Das Rheingold directed by Barrie Kosky led by Music Director Sir Antonio Pappano, and returned to the Bayerische Staatsoper in a new production of Die Fledermaus directed by Barrie Kosky under the baton of Music Director Vladimir Jurowski. Additionally, he returned to the Salzburger Festspiele and made a role debut as Alexej Iwanowitsch in a new production by Peter Sellars of Prokofiev’s The Gambler, bowed in the title role of Stravinsky’s Œdipus Rex in a new production by Mart van Berckel at Dutch National Opera, and reprised his creation of Leonard Woolf in a revival at the Metropolitan Opera of Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Kevin Puts’ The Hours.
Highly prized as an interpreter of contemporary music on leading international stages, the American tenor of Sri Lankan heritage achieved a break-out success in his 2018 Salzburger Festspiele debut as Dionysus in a new production of Henze’s The Bassarids directed by Krzysztof Warlikowski under the baton of Kent Nagano. He was no less critically acclaimed for the role of Gandhi in Philip Glass’ Satyagraha directed by Phelim McDermott at Los Angeles Opera and English National Opera.
Sean Panikkar bowed in the Metropolitan Opera premiere of The Hours in a new production by Phelim McDermott led by Yannick Nézet-Séguin and made his Bayerische Staatsoper debut as Laertes in Brett Dean’s Hamlet in the company’s new production by Neil Armfield conducted by Vladimir Jurowski. He created the role of Adam in the world premiere of Giorgio Battistelli’s CO2for a debut at Teatro alla Scala conducted by Cornelius Meister and directed by Robert Carsen, bowed at the Komische Oper Berlin in The Bassarids in a new production directed by Barrie Kosky under the baton of Vladimir Jurowski, and assayed the lead role in new productions of Nono’s Intolleranza 1960 at the Salzburger Festspiele with the creative team of Jan Lauwers and Ingo Metzmacher and at Komische Oper Berlin directed by Marco Štorman led by Gabriel Feltz.
The tenor has bowed at the Wiener Staatsoper in a new production of Wozzeck directed by Simon Stone under the baton of Music Director Philippe Jordan and achieved critical success as Don José in the Calixto Bieito production of Carmen, which he has sung many times at English National Opera. Additional highlights include the title role of Œdipus Rex at the San Francisco Symphony in a production by Peter Sellars conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen and Weill’s Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny directed by Ivo van Hove and conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence.
Symphonic performances include Stravinsky’s Œdipus Rex with Juraj Valčuha leading the Houston Symphony, Bruckner’s Te Deum with both Xian Zhang and the New Jersey Symphony as well as with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra, Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg and conductor Duncan Ward in a mise-en-éspace by the Samoan Director/Choreographer Lemi Ponifasio, and Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings with Jayce Ogren and the Monterey Symphony. Further concert appearances include Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with Juraj Valčuha and the Minnesota Orchestra and with Christopher Warren-Green and the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, Berlioz’s Roméo et Juliette with Leonard Slatkin and the Saint Louis Symphony, The Tristan Project with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Mendelssohn’s Elijah with Michael Christie and the Phoenix Symphony, and Handel’s Messiah with Ragnar Bohlin and the San Francisco Symphony.
Sean Panikkar is a member of Forte, the operatic tenor group combining voices from different cultures into one incredible sound. The trio was created and debuted on America’s Got Talent having never met until only days before their first audition. During the 2013 season of the popular variety show, Forte was seen and heard by tens of millions of television viewers in national broadcasts on NBC. Their self-titled debut recording on Columbia Records was released in November 2013 and a follow-up recording, The Future Classics, was released in 2015.
An alumnus of San Francisco Opera’s Adler Fellowship, Sean Panikkar holds his Bachelor and Master degrees in Voice Performance from the University of Michigan.
Highlights of the 2024-25 season include the role of Loge in a new production of Das Rheingold at the Bayerische Staatsoper directed by Tobias Kratzer and conducted by Music Director Vladimir Jurowski, The Bridegroom in the Australian premiere at the Adelaide Festival of the gripping one-act drama from Kaija Saariaho and Sofi Oksanen, Innocence, directed by Simon Stone and conducted by Saariaho specialist Clément Mao-Takacs, and a role debut as Peter Grimes at Opéra national de Lyon in the Christof Loy milestone realization of Britten’s dark masterpiece. The tenor makes his London Symphony Orchestra debut at the invitation of Sir Antonio Pappano in a program of Tippett’s A Child of Our Time paired with Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
Sean Panikkar made his debut last season at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in a new production of Das Rheingold directed by Barrie Kosky led by Music Director Sir Antonio Pappano, and returned to the Bayerische Staatsoper in a new production of Die Fledermaus directed by Barrie Kosky under the baton of Music Director Vladimir Jurowski. Additionally, he returned to the Salzburger Festspiele and made a role debut as Alexej Iwanowitsch in a new production by Peter Sellars of Prokofiev’s The Gambler, bowed in the title role of Stravinsky’s Œdipus Rex in a new production by Mart van Berckel at Dutch National Opera, and reprised his creation of Leonard Woolf in a revival at the Metropolitan Opera of Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Kevin Puts’ The Hours.
Highly prized as an interpreter of contemporary music on leading international stages, the American tenor of Sri Lankan heritage achieved a break-out success in his 2018 Salzburger Festspiele debut as Dionysus in a new production of Henze’s The Bassarids directed by Krzysztof Warlikowski under the baton of Kent Nagano. He was no less critically acclaimed for the role of Gandhi in Philip Glass’ Satyagraha directed by Phelim McDermott at Los Angeles Opera and English National Opera.
Sean Panikkar bowed in the Metropolitan Opera premiere of The Hours in a new production by Phelim McDermott led by Yannick Nézet-Séguin and made his Bayerische Staatsoper debut as Laertes in Brett Dean’s Hamlet in the company’s new production by Neil Armfield conducted by Vladimir Jurowski. He created the role of Adam in the world premiere of Giorgio Battistelli’s CO2for a debut at Teatro alla Scala conducted by Cornelius Meister and directed by Robert Carsen, bowed at the Komische Oper Berlin in The Bassarids in a new production directed by Barrie Kosky under the baton of Vladimir Jurowski, and assayed the lead role in new productions of Nono’s Intolleranza 1960 at the Salzburger Festspiele with the creative team of Jan Lauwers and Ingo Metzmacher and at Komische Oper Berlin directed by Marco Štorman led by Gabriel Feltz.
The tenor has bowed at the Wiener Staatsoper in a new production of Wozzeck directed by Simon Stone under the baton of Music Director Philippe Jordan and achieved critical success as Don José in the Calixto Bieito production of Carmen, which he has sung many times at English National Opera. Additional highlights include the title role of Œdipus Rex at the San Francisco Symphony in a production by Peter Sellars conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen and Weill’s Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny directed by Ivo van Hove and conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence.
Symphonic performances include Stravinsky’s Œdipus Rex with Juraj Valčuha leading the Houston Symphony, Bruckner’s Te Deum with both Xian Zhang and the New Jersey Symphony as well as with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra, Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg and conductor Duncan Ward in a mise-en-éspace by the Samoan Director/Choreographer Lemi Ponifasio, and Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings with Jayce Ogren and the Monterey Symphony. Further concert appearances include Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with Juraj Valčuha and the Minnesota Orchestra and with Christopher Warren-Green and the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, Berlioz’s Roméo et Juliette with Leonard Slatkin and the Saint Louis Symphony, The Tristan Project with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Mendelssohn’s Elijah with Michael Christie and the Phoenix Symphony, and Handel’s Messiah with Ragnar Bohlin and the San Francisco Symphony.
Sean Panikkar is a member of Forte, the operatic tenor group combining voices from different cultures into one incredible sound. The trio was created and debuted on America’s Got Talent having never met until only days before their first audition. During the 2013 season of the popular variety show, Forte was seen and heard by tens of millions of television viewers in national broadcasts on NBC. Their self-titled debut recording on Columbia Records was released in November 2013 and a follow-up recording, The Future Classics, was released in 2015.
An alumnus of San Francisco Opera’s Adler Fellowship, Sean Panikkar holds his Bachelor and Master degrees in Voice Performance from the University of Michigan.