Biography

Serbian baritone Željko Lučić 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) and Iago (Otello). In the 2017/18 Season he returns to sing Macbeth.
Lučić 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 Cvejić. 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 and has gone onto win renown as a Verdi baritone, in 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, La Scala, Milan, Vienna State Opera, Bavarian State Opera, Semperoper Dresden and the Salzburg Festival.
Lučić’s other engagements include Barnaba (La Gioconda) and Carlo Gérard for the Metropolitan Opera, Lescaut (Manon Lescaut) for Bavarian State Opera, Scarpia (Tosca) for Vienna State Opera and the Munich Opera Festival, Michele (Il tabarro) for the Liceu, Barcelona, and Jochanaan (Salome) for Vienna State Opera and the Metropolitan Opera. Lučić also makes frequent concert appearances with leading international orchestras.
Videos
News and features
Watch: Finding the light in Verdi’s Il trovatore - 'There is love and there is hope'
Verdi's opera is infamous for its darkness and violence, but the cast and creative team of The Royal Opera's recent production believe it has a positive message too.
Watch: Verdi’s Il trovatore on-demand
David Bösch’s new Royal Opera production is available to watch around the world for 30 days.
Watch: Il trovatore live-streamed Insight event on 15 June 2016
Join director David Bösch and conductor Gianandrea Noseda as they explore the music and history of Verdi’s great Romantic opera.
Photos
Lianna Haroutounian as Leonora, Francesco Meli as Manrico and Željko Lučić as Count di Luna in Il trovatore, The Royal Opera

Željko Lučić

Željko Lučić as Gérard in Andrea Chénier, The Royal Opera

Jonas Kaufmann as Andrea Chénier and Željko Lučić as Carlo Gérard in Andrea Chénier

Elena Zilio as Madelon and Željko Lučić as Carlo Gérard in Andrea Chénier

Željko Lučić as Count di Luna in Il trovatore, The Royal Opera

Željko Lučić as Count di Luna in Il trovatore, The Royal Opera

Željko Lučić as Count di Luna in Il trovatore, The Royal Opera

Željko Lučić as Count di Luna in Il trovatore, The Royal Opera

Lianna Haroutounian as Leonora and Željko Lučić as Count di Luna in Il trovatore, The Royal Opera

Željko Lučić as Count di Luna (centre) in Il trovatore, The Royal Opera

Jonas Kaufmann as Andrea Chénier and Eva-Maria Westbroek as Maddalena Di Coigny in Andrea Chénier

Željko Lučić as Gérard and Elena Zilio as Madelon in Andrea Chénier, The Royal Opera

Željko Lučić as Carlo Gérard in Andrea Chénier

Željko Lučić in La traviata, The Royal Opera

Željko Lučić as Carlo Gérard in Andrea Chénier

Željko Lučić as Carlo Gérard in Andrea Chénier
