Sam Hird

@davidkgowland and I have been busy ahead of our Crush Room Recital this coming Monday - loving every second of exploring these four wonderful composers with David shining a torch on a treasure trove of details in the poems and music. We’ve got some Schwanengesang, a few fabulous Ireland songs, Banalités, and at the heart of it all: An die Ferne Geliebte. Would be lovely to see some friendly faces there!😄❤️

Tales of Love and Loss, Linbury Theatre, May 2026💡👗💼 We had our final performance on Saturday - can’t quite believe it, the run went by in a flash! I’ve had the time of my life working alongside such a dedicated, inexhaustible and inspiring group of people. This has been a true ensemble piece and so there are a lot of people to thank in the comments below🥳❤️ 📸 ©2026 Mark Senior

It’s Opening Night for Tales of Love and Loss!🥳🎉 Three Chamber Operas that explore those themes in very different ways - 💡 The Departure by Elizabeth Maconchy 👗Making Arrangements by Charlotte Bray, 💼and Four Sisters by Elena Langer. Working with such an incredible team onstage and off has been a treat - my colleagues have demonstrated what it means to be a great artist from day one; always bringing honesty, energy and passion to the room. They have been a constant inspiration and I can’t wait for audiences to see what we’ve been working on. Come along to the Linbury Theatre from tonight through to 9th May!🎭

A haunting tale, a domestic drama and a comic satire 🎶 In Tales of Love and Loss, three chamber operas unfold across grief, fractured relationships and unexpected turns, brought together in one evening of works by three women composers. From the quiet tension of The Departure to the unraveling at the heart of Making Arrangements, and the dark humour of Four Sisters, these are stories that stay with you long after the final note. 📅 Tales of Love and Loss opens in our Linbury Theatre from 1 May. 🎥 @samhirdbaritone #TheRoyalOpera #TalesOfLoveAndLoss #Opera #RoyalBalletAndOpera

I’m incredibly excited to announce my roles for the Royal Opera’s next Season, and my second year as a Jette Parker Artist. Five stunning operas on the Main Stage, working with a host of remarkable singers - I can’t wait to get started😄🥳

Rigoletto, Royal Opera House, April 2026🤡🎭 I had my final performance as Marullo last night - what an unbelievable experience this run has been. Having Sir Mark Elder at the podium, where he conducted from memory, was very special - as was getting to study a Verdi role in exceptional detail with him, where his ardour for both the music and juicy Italian language was utterly inspiring. I was incredibly lucky to get to share the stage with George Petean (@the_jedi_baritone ) who gave a remarkable Rigoletto, sharing his insights and experience with unparalleled generosity - I stood at the side of the stage with tears in my eyes as he sang the “non morir” section every night. @ivan.ayonrivas couldn’t be more different to the Duke he played so fantastically - bringing a lovely energy and laughter to the room day after day; and sounding sublime throughout the show. The whole cast have been brilliant on and off the stage, and I’ve particularly loved working with the other two thirds of our Three Musketeers (or Three Stooges!) @thomasdhopkinson and @effuimaono.tenor - we’ll always have our act 3 Coca Cola in the cafe ritual and the magic tricks. And my fabulous fellow Jette Parker legends @jingwen__cai who sang beautifully as Giovanna and @ellengpearsonmezzo who shone in her first ever step-in as cover - all while we rehearsed for the upcoming Tales of Love and Loss together during the day! Thank you to everyone who made this so special - and to my friends and family for coming out to watch😊❤️ 📸 Marc Brenner

Boris Godunov, Royal Opera House, January 2026👑🎭 Alongside La Traviata I had an incredible time working on my first Russian opera, Boris Godunov - as Mityukha. It was a pinch-me experience having Sir Bryn Terfel in the title role, who brought boundless energy and honesty to the room every day - being up close and feeling the power of his voice in such a profoundly formidable role was unforgettable. As was getting the chance to work under the baton of Mark Wigglesworth, whose ability to highlight the intrinsic link between the words/drama and orchestra was truly inspiring to witness. A piece like this relies on a large ensemble of singers to bring their toolkits of creativity and vulnerability to the studio and the stage - and this cast did so in abundance. I felt very lucky to be surrounded by the glorious Chorus of the Royal Opera who sounded outstanding in this repertoire, and made me feel very welcome. Thank you to everyone involved!😄 📸 Mihaela Bodlovic (I included a video of the cast list above as it was fairly prolific!)

La Traviata, Royal Opera House, January 2026🥂🎭 Looking at my face on the first picture, you’ll get a tiny glimpse of how thrilled I was to be onstage with Ermonela Jaho back in January! Having watched her in this same production a few years ago, I had the time of my life as Baron Duphol in my Main Stage Debut at Covent Garden - I could not have wished for a more wonderful cast, with Ermonela, Giovanni Sala and Aleksei Isaev leading from the front with such powerful vocal dexterity and remarkable integrity on and offstage. Singing under the baton of Antonello Manacorda was a complete treat, and being a part of this iteration of the iconic, beautifully-crafted Richard Eyre production has been unforgettable. Thank you to everyone involved for making this such a special experience, and to all my lovely friends and family for coming to support🍾❤️ 📸 ©2026 Pamela Raith Conducted by - @antonellomanacorda Violetta - @ermonelajaho Alfredo - @giovanni_sala_tenor Germont - @aleksellsaevbaritono Annina - @vakamamakia Doctor Grenvil - @barnabyrea_bass Flora - @ellengpearsonmezzo Baron - Me! Gastone - @giorgiguliashvili_ Marquis - @ossianhuskinson

I had a truly wonderful evening on Saturday getting to perform my first Elijah in the best company - @ellengpearsonmezzo , @jessicalawleysoprano and Max Robbins. Great to be back with the Cleveland Philharmonic Choir again and to work with The Mowbray Orchestra under Daniel Cook. What a treat!😊🏔️#isnothiswordlikea🔥

Behind the scenes as we prepare for the Samling Showcase! As you can see we were having a terrible time 😉🙃 Come and join us on Tuesday 4th November at 7.30pm for our recital ‘Between Heaven and Earth’ at Wigmore Hall in London ✨ @samling_institute @ellengpearsonmezzo @francescalauri.piano @hugobradyy @samhirdbaritone @jonathanwware #recital #heaven #earth #wigmorehall #collaboration #lieder #artsong

I am very excited to announce that I will be a Jette Parker Artist (2025/27) at the Royal Opera House from September this year. To be working at such a wonderful place surrounded by brilliant minds and voices is going to be an absolute privilege. Thank you so much to everyone who has supported and guided me to this point - particularly @rcmlondon which has been like a second home to me for the past 7 years.

A few highlights from the last year #royalcollegeofmusic #verbierfestival #wigmorehall #shipstonsongrisingstars #clonteroperaprize #royalphilharmonicorchestra