Tenor Russell Thomas is named L.A. Opera’s artist in residence

It was last summer when Russell Thomas — a tenor familiar to audiences of Los Angeles Opera, the Metropolitan Opera in New York and Lyric Opera of Chicago, among others — began to publicly express his desire for the type of experience that would help him eventually make the leap from the stage to an executive office. “Unfortunately, until we change the way the back office looks, nothing really is going to change because institutionally or structurally it’s still a very white industry.” As artist in residence, Thomas will be embedded creatively with the company, curating programming; participating in the company’s community engagement, fundraising, marketing and public relations efforts; performing in a starring role at least once a season, beginning with “Aida” during the 2021-22 season; and running two new training programs for young artists. “We started a conversation that I found incredibly inspiring and he shared with me a vision that I think was really very inspirational in terms of its expansiveness.” Thomas made his L.A. Opera debut in 2015 as Pollione in “Norma” and performed in company productions including 2017’s “Tosca” and 2019’s “The Clemency of Titus.” Thomas also has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, including John Adams’ “The Gospel According to the Other Mary” in 2012 and 2013 and in the title role of “Otello” at the Hollywood Bowl in 2018. As part of the appointment, Thomas will host and curate L.A. Opera’s “After Hours” recital series, which began in 2016 as a postshow experience. The artist in residence role, Thomas said, presents an opportunity to receive mentoring from L.A. Opera staff on leading a company and, in turn, to mentor a new generation of young artists.