Željko Lučić

Serbian baritone Željko Lucic made his Royal Opera debut in 2005 as Sharpless (Madama Butterfly) and has since sung Giorgio Germont (La traviata), Carlo Gérard (Andrea Chénier), Count di Luna (Il trovatore), Iago (Otello) and Macbeth for the Company. In the 2019/20 Season he sings Giorgio Germont.

Lucic was born in Zrenjanin and as a teenager sang with local choirs. He studied in Belgrade and at the Novi Sad Academy of Arts with Biserka Cvejic. He was a member of the Serbian National Theatre 1993–8, and a member of Frankfurt Opera 1998–2008. In 1997 he won first prize at the Francisco Viñas International Singing Competition. He is renowned for his interpretation of Verdi baritone roles, including Nabucco, Macbeth, Rigoletto, Count di Luna (Il trovatore), Giorgio Germont, Renato (Un ballo in maschera), Don Carlo (La forza del destino), Simon Boccanegra, Amonasro (Aida), Iago and Falstaff, for opera houses and companies including the Metropolitan Opera, New York, Lyric Opera of Chicago, La Scala, Milan, Paris Opéra, Vienna State Opera, Bavarian State Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Frankfurt Opera Semperoper Dresden and the Salzburg Festival.

Selected appearances in other repertory include Jokanaan (Salome), Alfio (Cavalleria rusticana), Scarpia (Tosca) and Jack Rance (La fanciulla del West) for the Metropolitan Opera, New York, Michele (Il tabarro) and Gianni Schicchi for Frankfurt Opera, Scarpia and Jokanaan for Vienna State Opera, Scarpia for Deutsche Oper Berlin and Bavarian State Opera and Carlo Gérard for the Munich Opera Festival. Lucic also makes frequent concert appearances with leading international orchestras.