Renowned for his exquisite and precise tone, and the expressiveness of his characterisations, baritone Russell Braun rightfully claims his place on the leading concert, opera and recital stages around the world. His intelligent and thoughtful portrayals of Chou En-lai, Billy Budd, Prince Andrei, Figaro, Papageno, Count Almaviva, Don Giovanni, Pelléas, Eugene Onegin, and The Traveller have captivated audiences and critics alike. Highlights of the 2023/24 season include Guglielmo Così fan tutte for Théâtre du Châtelet and a return to Festival d'Aix-en-Provence to sing the role of Agamemnon Iphigénie en Aulide.
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Recent highlights include making his role debut as Mandryka in a new production of Arabella for Deutsche Oper Berlin, directed by Tobias Kratzer, and Guglielmo Così fan tutte in a new production for Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, directed by Dmitri Tcherniakov, Mendelssohn Elijah with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, and Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
Further operatic highlights include Sam A Quiet Place for Opéra national de Paris, Speaker Die Zauberflöte, Peter Hänsel und Gretel and Don Alfonso Così fan tutte at the Canadian Opera Company, Peter Hänsel und Gretel with Michigan Opera Theatre, a new collaboration with director Tim Albery on Hanns Eisler Hell’s Fury, The Hollywood Songbook, Luminato Festival, Pentheus The Bassarids, Salzburg Festival, Alfred Ill Der Besuch der alten Dame at Theater an der Wien, Figaro Il barbiere di Siviglia at Calgary Opera and the title role of the Canadian Opera Company’s new production of Louis Riel in Toronto at the Four Seasons Centre and in Ottawa with the National Arts Centre Orchestra presented as part of the celebrations surrounding Canada’s 150th Anniversary. Previous seasons have included Count Almaviva Le nozze di Figaro, Ford Falstaff, Duke of Nottingham Roberto Devereux and Conte di Luna Il trovatore, all with the Canadian Opera Company, Chou En-lai Nixon in China, Lescaut Manon Lescaut and as Olivier alongside Renée Fleming in Capriccio, all at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
On the concert platform, Braun sings regularly with the world’s major conductors and orchestras, including the Atlanta Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Montreal Symphony, Danish National Symphony, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich and Houston Symphony. With a great affinity for contemporary repertoire, he has performed Peter Eötvös Senza Sangue in Rome, London, Norway and Sweden, Brett Dean Knocking at the Hell Gate with the BBC Symphony in London, and Saariaho Cinque reflets de l’amour de loin with the Radio-Sinfonieorchester in both Stuttgart and Freiburg. Recent highlights include Brahms Vier ernste Gesänge arranged by Detlev Glanert and Fauré Requiem with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Vaughan Williams A Sea Symphony with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
His discography features the GRAMMY-nominated Das Lied von der Erde (Dorian), JUNO winners Mozart Arie e duetti (CBC) and Apollo e Daphne, and JUNO nominee Winterreise (CBC). His most recent release is Dietch Le vaisseau fantôme with Les Musiciens du Louvre Grenoble on the Naïve label. DVDs include the Salzburg Festival’s Roméo et Juliette and the Mark Morris dance adaptation of Dido and Aeneas, his much-lauded portrayal of Chou En-lai in Adams Nixon in China (Nonesuch) and Capriccio (Decca) at the Metropolitan Opera (released on DVD as part of the company’s Live-in-HD series) and Alexina Louie’s comic opera Burnt Toast.