Learn More About Roy

Short Bio

Roy Hage made his LA Opera debut this season as Sami in Mary Kouyoumdjian’s Adoration, in a career shaped by resilience, artistry, and a deep love of storytelling. Growing up in war-torn Beirut, he sang along with opera recordings to drown out the sound of bombs before moving alone to the U.S. at 16, unwavering in his commitment to a life in music. Today, the multi-GRAMMY®-nominated tenor is acclaimed for his “uncommonly beautiful voice” (Musical America) and “haunting” performances (TheaterScene.net), with critics declaring, “[t]his is why we attend the opera.”

He will return to LA Opera in November to perform Volmar in the world premiere of Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Hildegard, produced by Beth Morrison Projects. A champion of new works, Roy has collaborated with numerous Pulitzer Prize and GRAMMY®-winning composers while also excelling in more than 40 principal roles, including The Tales of Hoffmann, Roméo et Juliette, Pelléas et Mélisande, Candide, The Rake’s Progress, La clemenza di Tito, and Manon.

His career has taken him from sold-out one-man shows at Stanford Live to a triumphant return to the Middle East, where he appeared on MTV, singing “Nessun Dorma”, and was honored as a guest performer at the Lebanese American University’s Centennial—a prestigious event attended by the Lebanese head of state and government officials. Self-represented and open to new management, Roy brings an artist’s vision and a steadfast commitment to shaping the future of opera.

(For more details, see the Press section above)

Long Bio

Tenor Roy Hage is humbled to have grown from a kid in Beirut, Lebanon—singing along with opera recordings in his room to drown out the sound of bombs—into a man collaborating with the very artists who first inspired his love for the art form. A Multi-GRAMMY®-nominated tenor, Roy has performed over 70 operatic and symphonic works in nine languages with many of the world’s leading orchestras, festivals, and opera companies.

This season, Roy made his Beth Morrison Projects and LA Opera debut as Sami in Adoration by Mary Kouyoumdjian—and he is excited to return to LA Opera this November to perform the role of Volmar in the world premiere of Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Hildegard, also produced by Beth Morrison Projects. He will then reprise the role in January 2026, taking part in the East Coast premiere at the PROTOTYPE Festival. Roy finishes his 2024–25 season singing The Lover in the American premiere of Sibelius’s The Maiden in the Tower at Boston’s legendary Jordan Hall. Soon thereafter, he makes his role debut as Anatol in Barber’s Vanessa with Heartbeat Opera at the Williamstown Festival—the first opera in the festival’s history, now led by the renowned Jeremy O. Harris as creative director.

Some of the ensembles and opera companies Roy has performed with include the Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Saint Louis Symphony, Columbus Symphony Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, LA Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Santa Fe Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and Aspen Music Festival, among many others. He has worked with conductors of historic importance such as Yannick Nézet-Séguin (Metropolitan Opera), Vladimir Ashkenazy, Sir Richard Bonynge, Sir Corrado Rovaris, Christofer Macatsoris, Caren Levine, George Manahan, Rossen Milanov, Xian Zhang, Stephen Lord, James Gaffigan, David Robertson, and Michael Christie.

Roy has taken on 40+ roles, including the title parts in The Tales of Hoffmann, Roméo et Juliette, The Rake’s Progress, Candide, La clemenza di Tito, and Pelléas et Mélisande, as well as the Duke (Rigoletto), Nemorino (L’elisir d’amore), Alfredo (La traviata), Tamino (The Magic Flute), Le Chevalier des Grieux (Manon), Ruggero and Prunier (La rondine), Judge Danforth (The Crucible), Jeník (The Bartered Bride), the Italian Singer (Capriccio), and Chevalier de la Force (Dialogues des Carmélites). His performances have been broadcast on both U.S. and Lebanese television and radio.

A pioneer of non-traditional vocal expression, Roy’s art consistently challenges expectations and pushes the boundaries of convention. One such example was an immersive adaptation of La Traviata at New York City’s famed cabaret, The Box, where he performed Alfredo alongside Metropolitan Opera soprano Inna Dukach and baritone Paul La Rosa. Roy also created the role of Paul in Georgia Shreve’s rock-opera Love Sick, which premiered at National Sawdust in 2018, and the following year he produced and performed with Broadway veterans in Shreve’s musical-opera-play hybrid Dialogues of Travelers, also at National Sawdust. More recently, Roy earned unanimous acclaim performing Lensky in Heartbeat Opera’s 100-minute adaptation of Eugene Onegin, directed by Dustin Wills.

Additionally, Roy captivated Bay Area audiences with his one-man show “Finding My Voice,” presented on the Stanford Live concert series. His engrossing storytelling seamlessly merged melodies and personal anecdotes, delivering an intimate and immersive experience. The performance garnered resounding praise from Stanford Live subscribers, becoming the highlight of multiple concert seasons—a testament not only to his remarkable gifts as a performer but also to his ability to bridge gaps and break barriers through music.

Roy has worked intimately on the development of significant artistic projects with artists who have been nominated for and awarded Pulitzer Prizes, Tony Awards, GRAMMY® Awards, MacArthur Fellowships, Kennedy Center Honors, and the National Medal of Arts—including Bill T. Jones, Jennifer Higdon, Steven Stucky, Kevin Putts, Ann Hamilton, and Mary Kouyoumdjian—leaving his indelible mark on works that have become standard modern repertoire.

Among his many accolades, Roy won First Prize in the WRTI Broadcast of the 2017 Giargiari Bel Canto Operatic Competition, achieved the highest score in the 2016 Mario Lanza Competition, and claimed Second Prize in the Grand Concours de Chant Competition. He is honored to have completed his operatic training at the top program for each of his respective degrees: Interlochen Arts Academy, Oberlin Conservatory, Yale University, Curtis Institute of Music, and the Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA). Most recently, Roy received his MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and was the only business student selected for the prestigious “Design Leaders” cohort at Stanford’s Graduate School of Engineering (Hasso Plattner Institute of Design – d.school).

This photo of Roy Hage is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.