Lawrence Brownlee

Lawrence Brownlee is a leading figure in opera, both as a singer on the world’s top stages, and as a voice for activism and diversity in the industry. With an ever-increasing presence in opera, recital, and concerts, Brownlee has cemented his place as one of the top artists in classical music. He is a regular guest at the world’s most important opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Royal Opera House—Covent Garden, Bayerische Staatsoper, Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Opéra national de Paris, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Teatro Real, Opernhaus Zürich, and Wiener Staatsoper. He is a fixture at the world’s top recital venues including Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, and the Kennedy Center. His concert performances include collaborations with the Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, and the festivals of Baden-Baden and Salzburg.

Amid the challenges of COVID-19, Brownlee emerged as a pivotal voice in classical music’s shift toward digital programming and the resurgence of conversations around racial justice. In May 2020, he launched The Sitdown With LB, a weekly Facebook Live series that explores the experience of being an African American opera singer. The series has featured Brownlee in conversation with renowned artists including George Shirley, Denyce Graves, Martina Arroyo, J’Nai Bridges, Angel Blue, and others. Since April 2020 he has also hosted the video series Coffee and a Song, in which he invites artist friends to perform interpretations of art-songs from the intimacy of their own homes, and in August he gave a master class conversation-performance as part of National Sawdust’s Digital Discovery Festival. Brownlee also performed at the Metropolitan Opera’s At-Home Gala.

Other highlights of Brownlee’s 2020-21 season: a virtual concert with the Tallahassee Symphony, a broadcast of Lawrence Brownlee and Friends with Opera Philadelphia, a virtual recital with pianist Myra Huang for the Schubert Club International Artist Series, broadcasts and live performances of his acclaimed solo recital program Cycles of My Being, a duo recital with Michael Spyres, and appearances with the Lincoln Center Song Series, Opéra Royal de Wallonie, Opernhaus Zurich, Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, New National Theatre Tokyo, and San Francisco Opera. His album Amici e Rivali with Spyres and conductor Corrado Rovaris, due out in November 2021 on Warner Classics / Erato, will be the first ever to exclusively feature Rossini’s tenor duets.

Brownlee’s 2019-20 season began with a return to Lyric Opera of Chicago for one of his signature roles as Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville under the baton of Andrew Davis, followed by Dutch National Opera for another Rossinian comedy favorite as Don Ramiro in La Cenerentola. Brownlee also made a return to Houston Grand Opera, adding a new role to his repertoire as Fernand in a new production of Donizetti’s La Favorite. In February 2020, he gave a recital alongside Michael Spyres and the Puerto Rico Symphony, and in March returned to his hometown for a concert with the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra.

A passionate advocate for diversity initiatives, Brownlee works with companies and engages civic organizations in the cities he visits to create programs and experiences seeking to expand opera audiences. His solo recital program Cycles of My Being, a song cycle that centers on the black male experience in America today, has toured across the country three times since 2018, including performances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center as well as virtual broadcasts. Following the Lawrence Brownlee and Friends concert at Lyric Opera of Chicago in 2019, Brownlee performed Giving Voice at Houston Grand Opera, a concert created to celebrate Houston’s diverse community, and reprised his concert at Lyric with the virtual performance of Lawrence Brownlee and Friends: The Next Chapter in July 2020.

Brownlee serves as artistic advisor for Opera Philadelphia, where his responsibilities include increasing and expanding audience diversity, advocating for new works, and liaising with the general director from the perspective of a performing artist. “As an artist, I think it is important that we are actively advocating for this beautiful art form we love so much,” he said, “ensuring that it will be alive and well for many years to come.” He also serves as an ambassador for Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Lyric Unlimited, and is a peace ambassador for a new initiative called Opera for Peace.

Brownlee is the fourth of six children and first discovered music when he learned to play bass, drums, and piano at his family’s church in Hubbard, Ohio. He received a master’s degree from Indiana University and a grand prize in the 2001 Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions. Brownlee is a winner of numerous awards and distinctions including Male Singer of the Year (2017 International Opera Awards) and the Kennedy Center’s Marian Anderson Award. In October 2019, he had the honor of singing at Jessye Norman’s funeral.