Aleksei Isaev is a Russian opera singer and baritone, born in Tver, Russia. He received his musical education in Khanty-Mansiysk, where he studied at the Khanty-Mansiysk branch of the Moscow Gnessin Academy of Music in the class of Associate Professor Mikhail Paskhalsky.
In 2011, Aleksei Isaev joined the ensemble of Moscow’s Helikon-Opera, where he performed an extensive repertoire spanning Russian and Western European opera. His roles included Eugene Onegin in Eugene Onegin, Prince Yeletsky and Tomsky in Pique Dame, Count di Luna in Il trovatore, Silvio in Pagliacci, the Demon in Demon, Escamillo in Carmen, Count Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, and many others.
His international career began with appearances at the Estonian National Opera, where he performed Renato in Un ballo in maschera and Gryaznoy in The Tsar’s Bride, followed by an engagement at Semperoper Dresden as Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor. At Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden, he performed the role of Iago in Otello, appearing alongside Gregory Kunde.
In January 2020, Isaev made his French debut at Opéra National de Bordeaux, stepping in at short notice for the title role in Demon. This performance marked an important milestone in his growing international career.
Following the pandemic, Isaev returned to the stage as Scarpia in Tosca and Aleko in Aleko at Helikon-Opera. He subsequently performed Count di Luna in Il trovatore at Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden and Germont in La traviata at Finnish National Opera in Helsinki.
In October 2022, Aleksei Isaev attracted considerable attention with his performance as the Water Goblin in Rusalka at Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse. In February 2023, he reprised the role in his debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, under the baton of Semyon Bychkov.
His debut at the Royal Opera House marked a significant new chapter in his international career. At Covent Garden, Isaev performed Gérard in Andrea Chénier alongside Jonas Kaufmann and Sondra Radvanovsky, as well as Scarpia in Tosca with Sonya Yoncheva and Yusif Eyvazov. He subsequently sang Count di Luna in Il trovatore at the Royal Opera House, later reprising the role at Hamburgische Staatsoper.
At Semperoper Dresden, Isaev returned to the role of Iago in Otello. He collaborated with the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie in concert performances of works by Mussorgsky and appeared at Concertgebouw Amsterdam as Hermann in Alfredo Catalani’s Loreley. At Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse, he also performed the title role in Verdi’s Nabucco.
During the 2025/26 season, Aleksei Isaev made his debut at Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich as Sharpless in Madama Butterfly. He also made a highly successful debut as the Dutchman in Der fliegende Holländer at Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse, followed by a performance as Gérard in Andrea Chénier at Teatro Regio Torino.
In summer 2026, Isaev appeared at the prestigious Chorégies d’Orange festival as Count di Luna in Il trovatore, alongside Anna Netrebko.
During the same season, he joined Bayerische Staatsoper on tour in China, performing Iago in Verdi’s Otello. He subsequently appeared at Opéra de Dijon as Tonio in Pagliacci and Alfio in Cavalleria rusticana.
At the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Isaev returned as Germont in La traviata. At Teatro Massimo di Palermo, he performed Aleko in Aleko and Alfio in Cavalleria rusticana, while at La Monnaie / De Munt in Brussels he made his debut as Scarpia in Tosca.
His season also included his debut in the title role of Verdi’s Macbeth at Opéra de Rouen Normandie, as well as Germont in La traviata in Malta. He subsequently performed Renato in Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera.
At Hamburgische Staatsoper, Isaev returned to the roles of Tonio in Pagliacci and Alfio in Cavalleria rusticana. He then made his debut in Rigoletto at Opéra national du Rhin in Strasbourg, followed by an appearance at Opéra de Nice Côte d’Azur as Tonio in Pagliacci.
The next major engagement in his career will be an appearance at the prestigious Bregenzer Festspiele, where Aleksei Isaev will perform the role of Germont in La traviata.
Today, Aleksei Isaev’s repertoire encompasses a wide range of leading baritone roles, from the operas of Verdi, Puccini and Leoncavallo to the great works of the Russian operatic tradition. His career has taken him to many of Europe’s leading opera houses and international festivals, where he has worked with some of the most distinguished artists and conductors of the contemporary opera world.
Aleksei Isaev continues to develop an international career distinguished by a broad dramatic repertoire, a powerful stage presence and a distinctive vocal personality.
Repertoire
| Luna. | Il Trovatore. | Verdi. |
| Nabucco. | Nabucco. | |
| Don Carlo di Vargas. | Forza del Destino. | |
| Iago. | Otello. | |
| Amonasro. | Aida. | |
| Germont. | Traviata. | |
| Renato. | Un ballo in Maschera | |
| Sharpless. | Madama Butterfly. | Puccini. |
| Scarpia. | Tosca. | |
| Tomsky. | Dame de Pique. | Tschaikowski |
| Eletsky. | Dame de Pique. | |
| Mazeppa. | Mazeppa. | |
| Onegin. | Onegin. | |
| Robert. | Iolanta. | |
| Gerard | Andrea Chenier. | Giordano. |
| Der Fliegender Hollaender | Der Fliegender Hollaender. | Wagner. |
| Escamilio. | Carmen. | Bizet. |
| Silvio. | Pagliacci. | Leoncavallo. |
| Alfio. | Cavalleria Rusticana. | Mascagni. |
| Hermann. | Loreley. | Catalani. |
| Vodnik. | Rusalka. | Dvořák. |
| Vedenetsky guest. | Sadko. | Rimski-Korsakow. |
| Demon. | Demon. | Rubinstein. |
| Rangony. | Boris Godunov. | Mussorgski. |
| Almaviva. | Le Nozze di Figaro. | Mozart. |
| Potemkin. | Tsarisa. | Tukhmanov. |

