D E A N M U R P H Y
BARITONE
"The male cast around Hermann proves to be superbly cast, both vocally and in terms of character. First and foremost, the stunning Dean Murphy, a member of the Deutsche Oper Berlin ensemble since 2021/2022, as Prince Yeletsky. The dazzling American baritone possesses a masculine, elegant, dreamlike timbre and is able to allow his robust, dark voice, balanced across all registers, to blossom in luxurious legato and shape it into strikingly nuanced parlando."
- Online Merker
Prince Yeletsky | PIQUE DAME Deutsche Oper Berlin 2025
American baritone Dean Murphy's upcoming engagements include Conte d'Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro with both Boston Lyric Opera and San Diego Opera, Herr Fluth in Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor at Stadttheater Klagenfurt, Prince Yeletsky in Pique Dame at Deutsche Oper Berlin and a series of concerts with Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins in an operatic rendering of Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. Dean will also debut the Title Role in Don Giovanni in June of 2027.
In August, Dean made his debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Andris Nelsons at Tanglewood. During his final season with Deutsche Oper Berlin, he sang Conte d'Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro, Giorgio Germont in La traviata, Demetrius in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia. He also sang Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia at San Diego Opera, Slim in Of Mice and Men at Des Moines Metro Opera, and Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor at Berkshire Opera Festival.
Dean was a member of the Deutsche Oper Berlin ensemble for seven seasons, where he established himself in a wide-ranging repertoire spanning Mozart, Verdi, Puccini, Massenet, Leoncavallo, Tchaikovsky, Wagner, and contemporary works. Among his appearances with the company are Eddy in a new production of Mark-Anthony Turnage's Greek directed by Pınar Karabulut and Il Giullare in a new production of Zandonai's Francesca da Rimini, conducted by Carlo Rizzi and directed by Christof Loy. His numerous roles at Deutsche Oper Berlin have also included Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor, Frédéric in Lakmé, Marcello in La bohème, Silvio in I pagliacci, Prince Yeletsky in Pique Dame, Albert in Werther, and Heerrufer in Lohengrin.
ABOUT
Elsewhere, Dean has appeared as Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia at Opernhaus Zürich and the Royal Danish Opera in Copenhagen; Don Alvaro and Lord Sidney in Il viaggio a Reims at the Rossini Opera Festival; Der junge Herr in Der Protagonist at Teatro La Fenice; Paolo Orsini in Rienzi at Müpa Budapest; Jean in Julie at Opéra national de Lorraine; Fürst Ottokar in Der Freischütz at Theater an der Wien; and Schaunard in La bohème at Opera Ballet Vlaanderen and Semperoper Dresden.
Competition successes include participation in Plácido Domingo's Operalia in Mumbai in 2024, as well as reaching the finals of the Francisco Viñas International Singing Competition in Barcelona in 2020 and the International Stanisław Moniuszko Vocal Competition in 2022.
From 2018 to 2020, Dean was a member of the International Opera Studio at Opernhaus Zürich, where his roles included Figaro in Il barbiere di Siviglia and Schaunard in La bohème. He also appeared in new productions of Die Gezeichneten directed by Barrie Kosky, Sweeney Todd directed by Andreas Homoki, and Le Grand Macabre directed by Tatjana Gürbaca.
On the concert stage, Dean has performed Brahms' Ein deutsches Requiem with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, Vaughan Williams' Dona nobis pacem with Musikkollegium Winterthur, Mendelssohn's Die erste Walpurgisnacht at the Berliner Philharmonie, and Vaughan Williams' Five Mystical Songs at the Berliner Philharmonie under the baton of Simon Halsey.
Dean holds a Master of Music degree from the Yale School of Music and a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the Hartt School of Music.
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SCHEDULE
“Baritone Dean Murphy exhibited a type of American baritone we have learned to admire – Robert Merrill, Leonard Warren, Sherrill Milnes..."
— Opera Gazet
MEDIA
REPERTOIRE
opera
ADAMS
Chou En-Lai*, Richard Nixon* | Nixon in China
BIZET
Zurga* | Les pêcheurs de perles
BRITTEN
Demetrius | A Midsummer Night's Dream
Title Role* | Billy Budd
Ned Keene* | Peter Grimes
DELIBES
Frédéric | Lakmé
DONIZETTI
Malatesta* | Don Pasquale
Belcore | L'elisir d'amore
Enrico | Lucia di Lammermoor
GOUNOD
Valentin* | Faust
Lescaut* | Manon
Mercutio | Romeo et Juliette
KORNGOLD
Frank*, Fritz* | Die tote Stadt
LEONCAVALLO
Silvio | I pagliacci
MASSENET
Albert | Werther
MOZART
Guglielmo | Così fan tutte
Title Role* | Don Giovanni
Il Conte d'Almaviva | Le Nozze di Figaro
NICOLAI
Herr Fluth | Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor
PUCCINI
Marcello, Schaunard | La Bohème
RAVEL
Ramiro* | L'heure espagnole
ROSSINI
Title Role | Il Barbiere di Siviglia
Dandini* | La Cenerentola
J. STRAUSS
Falke* | Die Fledermaus
STRAUSS
Olivier*, Count* | Capriccio
TCHAIKOVSKY
Title Role* | Eugene Onegin
Prince Yeletsky | Pique Dame
THOMAS
Title Role* | Hamlet
WAGNER
Heerrufer | Lohengrin
Paolo Orsini | Rienzi
concert
BACH
Weihnachtsoratorium*
Matthäuspassion*
Johannespassion*
Magnificat*
B Minor Mass*
BARBER
Dover Beach*
BEETHOVEN
Symphony No. 9*
Missa Solemnis*
BERLIOZ
L'enfance du Christ*
Roméo et Juliette*
BRAHMS
Ein deutsches Requiem
BRITTEN
War Requiem*
DURUFLÉ
Requiem*
FAURÉ
Requiem
GOUNOD
Messe Solennelle*
HANDEL
Brockespassion*
Haman | Esther
Messiah
HAYDN
Die Schöpfung*
Die Jahreszeiten*
MAHLER
Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen*
Des Knaben Wunderhorn*
Kindertotenlieder*
Rückert-Lieder*
Pater Ecstaticus* | Symphony No. 8
MENDELSSOHN
Die erste Waldpurgisnacht
Elias* | Elias
ORFF
Carmina Burana
ROSSINI
Petite Messe Solennelle*
SIBELIUS
Kullervo*
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS
A Sea Symphony*
Don nobis pacem
Five Mystical Songs
* suggested/in preparation
PRESS
FIGARO
IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA
SAN DIEGO OPERA
“In his San Diego Opera debut, American baritone Dean Murphy gave us a spectacular Figaro. His bold, rich baritone filled the vast Civic Theatre with unusual comfort, and his ebullient character executed his plot maneuvers with a confidence and finesse that did not upset the strict social conventions of the period. Several seasons ago Deutsche Oper Berlin made Murphy a member of its ensemble and has cast him regularly in their productions. The Berliners know what they’re doing!”
-SAN DIEGO STORY
MERCUTIO
ROMÉO ET JULIETTE
KARLSRUHE
"The tremendous flexibility of his belcanto singing gave Dean Murphy his beautiful baritone and the visual presence of the faithful Mercutio."
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"Belkanto pur, enorme Flexibilität schenkte Dean Murphy seinem schönen Bariton und dem treuen Mercutio die optische Präsenz."
-ONLINE MERKER
MONIUSZKO
COMPETITION 2022
“The highlight of the auditions was the performance of Dean Murphy, an American baritone, who in the aria of Mozart's Count Almaviva, especially in Niewiadomski's Bells, showed full professionalism - a great interpretation, perfectly positioned voice and great musical sensitivity.”
-RUCH MUZYCZNY
EDDY
GREEK
DEUTSCHE OPER BERLIN
“As Eddy, Dean Murphy was unbearably moving in his use of head voice at the poignant 'We only love' after the final revelation”
-Carlos María Solare
OPERA MAGAZINE
HEERRUFER
LOHENGRIN
DEUTSCHE OPER BERLIN
“Yet another indication of the strength of the company’s ensemble was Dean Murphy’s impeccably sung, thrillingly voiced Herald. On the basis of this exemplary performance this young baritone looks set to have a glittering career ahead of him.”
-musicOMH
FIGARO
IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA
ZÜRICH
"As Figaro, Dean Murphy
convinced us totally with his beautiful baritone voice from the beginning. He succeeds in developing this role into a completely independent person. He sings this part with devotion and plays this character stunningly."
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"Dean Murphy als Figaro überzeugt mit seiner schönen Baritonstimme von Anfang an total. Es gelingt ihm, aus dieser Rolle eine ganz eigenständige Person zu entwickeln. Er singt diese Partie mit Hingabe und spielt diese Figur umwerfend."
-Marco Stücklin
OPERN MAGAZIN
DIE GEZEICHNETEN
OPERNHAUS ZÜRICH
"Notable among these new voices on this occasion was the fine vocal projection of American baritone Dean Murphy."
-Martin Wheeler
OPERA NEWS
FIGARO
IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA
OPERNHAUS ZÜRICH
"Of the leads, two voices stole the show. Dean Murphy’s superb baritone gave real heft to the slick and natty Figaro, whose self-infatuation, given his clever schemes, could somehow be forgiven. The American’s articulation and carriage as a modish sunny boy saw the audience in his hand from the start, and his character’s preening and trendy blue hair made us love him even more. His vocal delivery of the popular “Largo al factotum” aria in which he lauds his own praises, couldn’t have been more convincing: “Everyone wants me,” he sings, “women, youngsters, oldies, the golden-haired…” Figaro’s is a tremendously vibrant presence, the real driver of the action and Murphy brought the house lights on."
-Sarah Batschelet
BACHTRACK
YELETSKY
PIQUE DAME
DEUTSCHE OPER BERLIN
"The male cast around Hermann proves to be superbly cast, both vocally and in terms of character. First and foremost, the stunning Dean Murphy, a member of the Deutsche Oper Berlin ensemble since 2021/2022, as Prince Yeletsky. The dazzling American baritone possesses a masculine, elegant, dreamlike timbre and is able to allow his robust, dark voice, balanced across all registers, to blossom in luxurious legato and shape it into strikingly nuanced parlando."
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“Dean Murphy, seit 2021/2022 Ensemblemitglied der Deutschen Oper Berlin, als Fürst Jeletzkij. Der blendend aussehende amerikanische Bariton verfügt über ein männlich elegantes Traumtimbre, und vermag seine in allen Lagen ausgewogenen kernig dunkle Stimme in luxuriösem Legato aufblühen lassen als auch zu markant differenziertem Parlando formen.”
-ONLINE MERKER
MELOT
TRISTAN UND ISOLDE
DEUTSCHE OPER BERLIN
“Dean Murphy, one of today’s most prodigiously talented young singers and a late replacement as Melot, sang with firm, virile tone and the confidence of a name clearly on the rise.”
- music OMH
FIGARO
IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA
SAN DIEGO OPERA
"In the title role, rising American baritone Dean Murphy made a much-heralded return to the United States (after eight years) to debut one of his signature roles at SDO. A member of the Deutsche Oper Berlin ensemble since the 2021/22 season, Murphy brought a cool, calculating demeanor to his portrayal of the barber, imbuing the role with an aura of ambiguity. His voice was warm, with a well-supported middle register, and he navigated the patter section of “Largo al factotum” with ease. His take on that famous aira was particularly interesting: less of a boastful salesman, more of a cunning mastermind who knew his worth!
- PARTERRE
