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Praised by the New York Times for needing 'no amplification to communicate' his heroic strength, three-time Grammy Award-winning bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green is one of the most compelling figures in opera today — a singer whose command of Wagner and Verdi is matched by his commitment to new American works, and whose own extraordinary life story has made him an ambassador for the art form far beyond the opera house.

The 2026–2027 season represents one of the most significant chapters yet in Mr. Green's career, with a remarkable concentration of house and role debuts at both American and European houses. He returns to the Metropolitan Opera for Banquo in a new production of Verdi's Macbeth, directed by Louisa Proske and conducted by Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin and broadcast as part of the Met's Live in HD series, as well as Klingsor in Wagner's Parsifal, also conducted by Nézet-Séguin, and an appearance on the Diamond Jubilee: 60 Years at Lincoln Center gala. He makes his house and role debut in the title role of Wagner's Der fliegende Holländer with Dutch National Opera, conducted by Susanna Mälkki in Lotte de Beer's production, and his house debut in the same role at the Atlanta Opera, conducted by Iván López Reynoso and directed by Tomer Zvulun.

Mr. Green also makes his house debut with the Semperoper Dresden as the title role in Mozart's Don Giovanni, conducted by Nicholas Collon, and his house debut with the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Reverend Blitch in a new production of Carlisle Floyd's Susannah, directed by Patricia Racette and conducted by Daniela Candillari. Orchestral highlights include Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 at the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 at the Philadelphia Orchestra Opening Night with Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Mozart's Requiem with the Orchestra of St. Luke's at Carnegie Hall conducted by Christophe Rousset, and Mahler's Symphony No. 8 with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra conducted by Nézet-Séguin as part of his landmark Mahler symphony cycle.

The 2025–2026 season saw a return to the Metropolitan Opera for important role debuts, including King Marke in a new production of Tristan und Isolde directed by Yuval Sharon and conducted by Nézet-Séguin, his house debut in the title role of Don Giovanni also conducted by Nézet-Séguin, and his role debut as Crown in Porgy and Bess, conducted by Kwamé Ryan. Mr. Green returned to the Bayerische Staatsoper as Escamillo in Carmen and Don Fernando in Fidelio, and stepped in at the last minute to sing Don Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with Houston Grand Opera, conducted by Gemma New. He also continued his longstanding artistic partnership with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, returning to the role of Wotan in Die Walküre.

Additional highlights of the season included his appearance at the Richard Tucker Music Foundation 50th Anniversary Gala — presented for the first time outside New York by Florida Grand Opera at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami — and a featured appearance at the Opera Omaha Gala. In a particularly personal milestone, Mr. Green — a native of Suffolk, Virginia — was featured as a performer in America Made in Virginia: 250 Years Together, a live event celebrating the nation's Semiquincentennial broadcast nationally on PBS from Colonial Williamsburg on July 4, 2026.

The breadth of Mr. Green's operatic career reflects an artist who has moved with purpose through an ever-expanding repertoire. His performances at the Metropolitan Opera — now in their fourteenth consecutive season — include his breakout portrayal of Varlaam in Stephen Wadsworth's new production of Boris Godunov; Emile Griffith in Terence Blanchard's Champion, which won a Grammy Award; the roles of both Charles and Uncle Paul in Blanchard's Fire Shut Up in My Bones; Escamillo in Carmen; his role debut as Jake in James Robinson's new production of Porgy and Bess, which also won a Grammy Award; Colline in the iconic Zeffirelli production of La bohème; and Queequeg in the house premiere of Jake Heggie's Moby-Dick. Additional highlights at the Met include the King in Aida, Oroe in Semiramide, Ferrando in Il Trovatore, the Geisterbote in Die Frau ohne Schatten, Rambo in the premiere of John Adams' The Death of Klinghoffer conducted by David Robertson, the Second Knight in a new production of Parsifal, the Bonze in Madama Butterfly, and the Jailer in Tosca. Throughout this extended tenure, Mr. Green has cultivated a particularly close artistic relationship with Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, with whom he has collaborated across a wide range of operatic and orchestral repertoire both at the Met and beyond.

Beyond the Met, Mr. Green has built an exceptional record of house debuts across Europe and North America. He made his house debut at Opéra national de Paris as Kurwenal in Tristan und Isolde, his house debut at Deutsche Oper Berlin as Heinrich der Vogler in Lohengrin, and his house debut at the Bayerische Staatsoper as Varlaam in Boris Godunov, returning subsequently as Heinrich der Vogler in Lohengrin. He made his house debut with Staatsoper Hamburg as Varlaam in Boris Godunov, and his house debut with Washington National Opera as Escamillo in Carmen, with subsequent appearances as Ferrando in a new production of Il trovatore and Orest in a new production of Elektra. He made his house debut at Santa Fe Opera as Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, returning as the title role in Don Giovanni and for his role debut as Wotan in Die Walküre, conducted by James Gaffigan. He also sang Jake in Porgy and Bess with Theater an der Wien, and made his role debut as Klingsor in a new production of Parsifal by Jetske Mijnssen with Robin Ticciati conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Glyndebourne Festival. His house debut with Palm Beach Opera encompassed both Colline in La bohème and Sprecher in Die Zauberflöte, and his house and role debut as Escamillo in Carmen was with Opera San Antonio. Additional operatic engagements include Ferrando in Il trovatore with Opera de Lille's traveling production and Third King in Die Liebe der Danae with the Salzburg Festival.

A central chapter of Mr. Green's European career was his tenure as an ensemble member of the Wiener Staatsoper, where he sang nineteen roles over the course of several seasons, including Fasolt in Das Rheingold, Don Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Varlaam in Boris Godunov, Ferrando in Il trovatore, Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Banquo in Macbeth, Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte, Der Einarmige in Die Frau ohne Schatten, Sparafucile in a new production of Rigoletto, Lodovico in Otello, Angelotti in Tosca, Timur in a new production of Turandot, Peneios in Daphne, Fouquier-Tinville in Andrea Chénier, the Monk in Don Carlo, the Pope in Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, and the King in Aida.

On the orchestral stage, a defining thread of Mr. Green's concert career has been his long artistic partnership with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, which has encompassed Kurwenal in Tristan und Isolde, his role debut as Wotan in Das Rheingold, Wotan in Die Walküre, and multiple appearances at the Hollywood Bowl in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. He has also appeared in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the Ravinia Festival, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony at Vail, the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, the Florida Symphony, the Colorado Symphony, and the Norwalk Symphony.

Further orchestral highlights include Mussorgsky's Songs and Dances of Death at Carnegie Hall with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra conducted by Daniele Rustioni; Mahler's Symphony No. 8 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Andris Nelsons and at the Ravinia Festival under Marin Alsop; Bruckner's Te Deum with the Orchestre Métropolitain conducted by Nézet-Séguin; Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 at the Tanglewood Festival conducted by Zubin Mehta; Verdi's Requiem with the Tanglewood Music Festival conducted by Andris Nelsons; Walton's Belshazzar's Feast with the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Bramwell Tovey; Strauss's Daphne with the Cleveland Orchestra conducted by Franz Welser-Möst; Colline in La bohème at the Grand Teton Festival conducted by Donald Runnicles; his debut with the New York Philharmonic in the world premiere of a work by Courtney Bryan written for him; and his debut at the Mostly Mozart Festival in Mozart's Requiem with Louis Langrée.

Recital engagements include his debut at Carnegie Hall, and appearances with Los Angeles Opera, Colorado Opera, and True Concord in Tucson, all with pianist Adam Nielsen, his debut at the Ravinia Festival, at the Kennedy Center as winner of the Marian Anderson Vocal Award from Washington National Opera, and with the George London Foundation at the Morgan Library in New York, accompanied by Ken Noda. Mr. Green has also served as Artist in Residence at Florida State University, and was the first Artist in Residence for the Texas Opera Alliance, holding masterclasses and community events for Houston Grand Opera, Dallas Opera, Austin Opera, Fort Worth Opera, and Opera San Antonio.

In the fall of 2016, Little, Brown published Sing for Your Life, by New York Times journalist Daniel Bergner. The book tells the story of Mr. Green's personal and artistic journey — from a trailer park in southeastern Virginia and time spent in the state's juvenile facility of last resort to the Met stage. The New York Times Book Review called the book "one of the most inspiring stories I've come across in a long time," and the Washington Post called it a "vital, compelling, and highly recommended book." Sing for Your Life was named a New York Times bestseller and editor's choice, a Washington Post Notable Book, and a Publishers Weekly Book of the Year.

Honors and awards include National Grand Finals winner of the 2011 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, a 2014 George London Foundation Award, a 2014 Annenberg Grant recipient, a 2014 Gerda Lissner Foundation First Prize winner, both the Richard and Sara Tucker Grants from the Richard Tucker Foundation, and a finalist in the Palm Beach Opera Competition. Mr. Green currently sits on the Board of Regents at the University of Hartford and the board of Opera America. A native of Suffolk, Virginia, Mr. Green received a Master of Music degree from Florida State University, a Bachelor of Music degree from the Hartt School of Music, and was a member of the Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Development Program.

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