'Rich, dark and immensely powerful'
- Dr David Vernon
Described by Pierre Boulez as ‘un musicien formidable’ and ‘unflaggingly robust’ by Opera Magazine, heldentenor Brian Smith Walters began his musical career as a French horn player before turning to singing. In his career, he has performed over 80 roles, including such roles as Tristan Tristan und Isolde, Siegfried, Parsifal, Siegmund Die Walküre, Paul Die tote Stadt, Samson Samson et Dalila, Captain Vere Billy Budd and Peter Grimes. Brian has worked with conductors Valery Gergiev, Sir Mark Elder, and Christoph Eschenbach in the Lucerne, Schleswig-Holstein, Longborough, Buxton, Grange Park, and Aldeburgh festivals with additional work at the Barbican, Polish National Opera, English National Opera and Royal Opera, Covent Garden.
Recent career highlights have included: performing the role of Mark in Ethel Smyth’s The Wreckers as part of the centenary of women’s suffrage; singing Andrei in the English premiere of Tchaikovsky’s The Oprichnik; singing Menalas in the UK premiere of Strauss’s Die Ägyptische Helena (Wiener Fassung); and making his New York debut, singing Siegmund in Carnegie Hall for Manhattan Opera working with staff from the Metropolitan Opera.
The Financial Times called Brian ‘full-blooded’; The Times acclaimed his ‘bravura’ Menalas; and Harmony Magazine said, ‘In short, he knocked it so far out of the park that the search the ball had to be called off.’
Brian’s debut solo album, A Phoenix Rising, was released in 2023 on Parma Recording’s Navona label, with worldwide distribution through Naxos International and was shortlisted for a Grammy Award.
Press
On Tristan
'Smith Walters has a touch of graininess in the voice, often emphasising steel-edged heroic qualities yet fully encompassing warmer baritonal shadings, a fluidity of expressive line, and the capacity to present a gamut of emotions allied to incredible vocal stamina.'
Opera today
On Tristan
'Tristan [Brian Smith Walters] has a chiselled, textured tenor'
The Spectator
On Tristan
'He unflinchingly traced the trajectory of the proud hero, humbled by love and racked with guilt, to an agonised, hallucination-ridden Act III of such Vickers-like intensity that one feared both for the character and the singer. His wondrous bronze trumpet of a tenor made the music sound almost insolently easy, and his communication of the text was amazingly vivid.'
Wagner News
On Tristan
'Brian Smith Walters showed himself here as a Tristan every inch a Heldentenor. As vividly communicative in words as in music, Smith Walters paced his performance wisely, with as keen a developmental edge as any listener might wish for, culminating in shattering agonies and sweetly long-for release.'
opera magazine
On Tristan
'The singing was immensely impressive. Brian Smith Walters - singing Tristan three times in four days - has impressive stamina and musical insight. His hushed appeal to Isolde at the end of Act Two to follow him is superb. Any opera house would be glad to have him in a Heldentenor role and this big voice would clearly cope well with a larger auditorium.'
Mark Aspen
On Siegmund
'Brian Smith Walters is an excellent Siegmund whose tenor is warm, powerful and expansive. He also uses the space to good effect, facing in different directions for his successive cries of "Wälse!" so practically everyone in the hall gets to hear each of the two quite differently. Brian Smith Walters, with his expansive tenor, and Justine Viani, with her persuasive soprano, are excellent as the Wälsung twins as both maximise on the opportunities presented to render their characters in microscopic detail.'
music omh
On Siegmund
'Brian Smith Walters sang with the evident confidence of someone in full command of his role. His standout moment was his cries of "Wälse! Wälse!" which were both heartfelt and a triumph of excellent breath control.'
seen and heard international
On Siegmund
'Walters is a fantastic and valiant Siegmund, his voice carrying the weight of the conflict in which he find himself embroiled.'
london unattached
On Siegmund
'the heroic force in his voice comes across strongly in lines such as "Wälse! Wälse! Wo ist dein Schwert" just before he pulls the hilt of his sword from inside the central plinth. Yet there are also many moments of lyrical tenderness in his exchanges with Sieglinde.'
opera today
On Siegmund
'From this storm staggered the battered and wounded figure of Brian Smith Walters' Siegmund, a tough and capable looking outlaw rogue with the voice of a hero.'
planet hugill
On Siegmund
'[the] Heldentenor thrilled vocally as any Siegmund must; there was, though, much more to him than that. Like the rest of the cast, he took advantage of the lack of full staging to show just how much character narrative can develop through words and music. From outlawry and dejection to apparent victory, only to be snatched away from him by the chief of the gods himself (ever unknown to him as his father), this was a story that demanded to be told.'
Mark berry, author
On Siegmund
'Brian Smith Walters gave Siegmund a sumptuous regality of voice allied to acute dramatic sensitivity. His 'Winterstürme' soared with the triumph of a Siegfried and the tenderness of a Preislied.'
wagner news
On Siegfried (Act 3)
'Brian Smith Walters clearly relished the opportunity to sing Act III while in his freshest voice. His bright, clean-edged tenor was like a clarion call, and he was wonderfully bolshy and, frankly, unsympathetic in his uncomprehending conflict with the Wanderer...
Wagner News
On Siegfried (Act 3)
...And he didn't just sing! As Selwyn launched int the Interlude, Smith Walters produced a French horn and played the horn solo with tremendous elan. It took my breath away. Has any other Siegfried quite literally blown his own horn?'
Wagner news
On Andrei
'As Andrey, Brian Smith Walters revealed a highly expansive tenor.'
Music omh
On Andrei
'Brian Smith Walters gave a heroic performance of a taxing and frankly unsympathetic role. When finally, in Act Four, Andrey expresses and justifies himself, Smith Walters was able to give us more emotional depth, but through the opera, his strong performance and heroic singing helped anchor the piece.'
Opera Today
On Menelas
"Brian Smith Walters's bravura as Menalas"
The Times
On Menelas
"Superb singing from everyone, with [Brian Smith Walters] and Luci Briginshaw outstanding as Menelas and Aithra"
Tim Ashley (The Guardian)
On Menelas
'The result was wonderfully engaging [...] completely riveting [...] Smith Walters brought a touching sense of realism to his portrayal, and he sang with heroic firmness and amazing stamina so that the final reconciliation was indeed rapturous.'
Planet Hugill
On Menelas
'Justine Viani and Brian Smith Walters...both impress in the beaten-bronze middle ranges'
The Arts DesK
On Menelas
'Smith Walters deserves a medal for attempting it in the first place and another for succeeding so magnificently. He sang with sustained splendour, depicted the character's trauma with deep conviction, and even made the constant shifts of recall and amnesia credible.'
Harmony Magazine
Over 80 roles to date
Tristan
Tristan und Isolde
Wagner
Longborough Festival Opera
2026
Melot
Tristan und Isolde
Wagner
Longborough Festival Opera
2026
Tristan
Tristan und Isolde
Wagner
Opera Carlo Felice, Genoa, Italy
2026
Siegmund
Die Walküre
Wagner
Regents Opera Ring Cycle
2025
Apollo
Daphne
R Strauss
Edinburgh Opera Players
2025
Tristan
Tristan und Isolde
Wagner
Grimeborne Festival
2025
Apollo
Daphne
R Strauss
Regents Opera
2025
Siegmund
Die Walküre
Wagner
Longborough Festival Opera
2024
Tambourmajor
Wozzeck
Berg
Regents Opera
2024
Laca
Jenufa
Janacek
English National Opera
2024
Der Fremde
Das Wunder der Heliane
Korngold
Regents Opera
2024
Siegfried
Götterdämmerung
Wagner
Edinburgh Opera Players
2024
Siegmund
Die Walküre
Wagner
Regents Opera
2023
Peter Grimes
Peter Grimes
Britten
Polish National Opera
2023
Andrei
The Oprichnik
Tchaikovsky
Chelsea Opera Group
2023
Siegfried
Siegfried
Wagner
Edinburgh Opera Players
2023
Prince
L'amour des trois oranges
Prokofiev
Regents Opera Workshop
2023
Walther
Tannhäuser
Wagner
Saffron Opera Group
2022
Siegmund
Die Walküre
Wagner
Edinburgh Opera Players
2022
Paul
Die tote Stadt
Korngold
Longborough Festival Opera
2022
Siegmund
Die Walküre
Wagner
Mehta Hall, Vienna, Austria
2022
Paul
Die tote Stadt
Korngold
Regents Opera
2022
Siegmund
Die Walküre
Wagner
London Opera Company
2021
Menelas
Die ägyptische Helena
R Strauss
Fulham Opera
2021
Florestan
Fidelio
Beethoven
South London Opera Group
2020
Canio
I Pagliacci
Leoncavallo
Opera Makers
2020
Tristan
Tristan und Isolde
Wagner
London Opera Group
2020
Siegmund
Die Walküre
Wagner
Fulham Opera
2020
Captain Vere
Billy Budd
Britten
South London Opera Group
2019
Tristan
Tristan und Isolde
Wagner
Saffron Opera Group
2019
Samson
Samson et Dalila
Saint-Saëns
Aylesbury Opera
2019
Siegmund
Die Walküre
Wagner
Manhattan Opera
2019
Tristan
Tristan und Isolde
Wagner
Orchestra of St Barts
2018
Governor
Candide
Bernstein
Surrey Opera
2018
Mark
The Wreckers
E Smyth
Arcadian Opera
2018
Ragotski
Candide
Bernstein
Surrey Opera
2018
Charles Edward
Candide
Bernstein
Surrey Opera
2018
Vanderdendur
Candide
Bernstein
Surrey Opera
2018
Walther
Die Meistersinger
Wagner
Fulham Opera
2018
Chorus
Tosca
Puccini
Grange Park Opera
2017
Siegmund
Die Walküre
Wagner
Grange Park Opera
2017
Samson
Samson et Dalila
Saint-Saëns
Grimeborne Festival
2017
Barbican Centre
2017
Dritter Knappe
Parsifal
Wagner
Saffron Opera Group
2017
Parsifal
Parsifal
Wagner
Saffron Opera Group
2017
Peter Grimes
Peter Grimes
Britten
South London Opera Group
2017
Samson
Samson et Dalila
Saint-Saëns
South London Opera Group
2017
Erster Ritter
Parsifal
Wagner
Saffron Opera Group
2017
Chorus
Jenufa
Janacek
Grange Park Opera
2017
Tim
Rinse Cycle
Wagner/Mortimer
Charing Cross Theatre
2016
Idomeneo
Idomeneo
Mozart
Cambridge Chamber Opera
2016
Siegmund
Die Walküre
Wagner
London Opera Players
2016
Parsifal
Parsifal
Wagner
Elemental Opera
2016
Siegmund
Die Walküre
Wagner
Wagner Society
2015
Parsifal
Parsifal
Wagner
Mastersingers
2015
Otello
Otello
Verdi
Everybody Can Opera
2015
Junger Seeman
Tristan und Isolde
Wagner
New Palace Opera
2015
Siegmund
Die Walküre
Wagner
Secret Opera
2015
Melot
Tristan und Isolde
Wagner
New Palace Opera
2015
Chorus
Tristan und Isolde
Wagner
Longborough Festival Opera
2015
Junger Diener
Elektra
R Strauss
London Opera Players
2014
Aegisth
Elektra
R Strauss
London Opera Players
2014
Lover
Il Tabarro
Puccini
Opera Minima
2014
La Tinca
Il Tabarro
Puccini
Opera Minima
2014
Dr Cajus
Falstaff
Verdi
Fulham Opera
2014
Don Jose
Carmen
Bizet
London Opera Players
2014
Herod
Salome
R Strauss
Fulham Opera Workshop
2014
Lenny
The Choker
Alderson/Edis
Tete a Tete Festival
2014
Énée
Les Troyens (Part 1)
Berlioz
Piggotts Opera Orchestra
2013
Peter Grimes
Peter Grimes
Britten
Nottingham Philharmonic
2013
Aeneas
Dido and Aeneas
Purcell
Teatro Cesare Caporali, Panicale, Italy
2012
Bajazet
Tamerlano
Handel
Manchester Concert Opera
2011
Loge
Das Rheingold
Wagner
Fulham Opera
2011
Amalekite
Saul
Handel
Buxton Opera Festival
2011
Chorus
Maria di Rohan
Donizetti
Buxton Opera Festival
2011
Schreiber
Tannhäuser
Wagner
Northern Wagner Orchestra
2011
Sampiero
Dream Hunter
LeFanu
Lontano
2011
Strongman
Mignon
Thomas
Buxton Opera Festival
2011
Bill
A Hand of Bridge
Barber
Buxton Opera Festival
2010
Gassac
The Lovely Ladies
Cowdrey
Buxton Opera Festival
2010
Chorus
Luisa Miller
Verdi
Buxton Opera Festival
2010
Muezzin Zwei
Barber of Baghdad
Cornelius
Buxton Opera Festival
2010
Jean Paul
Blood Line
A Ni Riain
Opera North/Tete a Tete
2010
Der Hirt
Tristan und Isolde
Wagner
Northern Wagner Orchestra
2010
Chorus
Idomeneo
Mozart/Strauss
Buxton Opera Festival
2010
Julian
Girls on Heat
A Ni Riain
Opera North/Tete a Tete
2010
Shepherd
King Roger
Szymanowski
Elemental Opera
2010
Jacko
Jacko's Hour
E Jones
Brighton Festival
2009
Rustighello
Lucrezia Borgia
Donizetti
Buxton Opera Festival
2009
Chorus
Veronique
Messager
Buxton Opera Festival
2009
Tichon
Kat'a Kabanova
Janacek
RNCM Opera
2009
Vašek
Bartered Bride
Smetana
West Riding Opera
2009
Camacho
Camacho's Wedding
Mendelssohn
Buxton Opera Festival
2009
Male Chorus
Rape of Lucretia
Britten
Elemental Opera
2009
Gonsalve
L'heure espangol
Ravel
RNCM Opera
2008
Chorus
The Poacher
Lortzing
Buxton Opera Festival
2008
Satyavan
Savitri
Holst
Buxton Opera Festival
2008
Student
La Rondine
Puccini
British Youth Opera
2008
La Rainette
L'enfant et les sortileges
Ravel
RNCM Opera
2008
Eisenstein
Der Fledermaus
J Strauss
RNCM Opera
2008