The Irish-American baritone Brian Mulligan studied at Yale University and the Juilliard School. He regularly works with the world’s leading opera houses and orchestras.

He will open his 2025/26 season as Amfortas in Parsifal at the San Francisco Opera, followed by the title role in Dallapiccola’s Il prigioniero with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra Prague under Antonio Pappano. He will also continue two Ring Cycles, both with Siegfried; at the Paris Opera, he will appear as Alberich under Pablo Heras-Casado, and with the Rotterdam Philharmonic under Yannick Nézet-Séguin, he will go on tour, amongst others again to Paris and Baden-Baden as Der Wanderer. He will also be heard as Balstrode in Peter Grimes at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam under Karina Canellakis. In the summer, he will sing Barak in Barrie Kosky’s new production of Die Frau ohne Schatten under the baton of Klaus Mäkelä at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence.

He began the 2024/25 season in the title role of The Flying Dutchman with the the Radio Filharmonisch Orkest under the baton of Jaap van Zweden at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. He then returned to the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Don Pizarro in Fidelio, followed his role debut as Der Wanderer in Siegfried with the Hangzhou Philharmonic in China under the baton of Markus Stenz. Mulligan then made another role debut as Alberich in Das Rheingold under the baton of Pablo Heras-Casado in a new production by Calixto Bieito at the Opéra National de Paris. He sang as Jochanaan in Salome both at the Teatro San Carlo di Napoli under the baton of Dan Ettinger and at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino under Alexander Soddy. He sang the Dutchman again at the Philharmonie Luxembourg for performances in Luxembourg and Brussels. Mulligan then made his debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra as Kurwenal in Tristan und Isolde under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin before singing Shostakovich’s The Execution of Stepan Rasin with the MDR Symphony in Leipzig.  To close his season, he returned to the San Francisco Opera for the Pride Gala.

Brian Mulligan’s 2023/24 season began as Telramund in Lohengrin at San Francisco Opera before moving to Toulouse to sing Barak in Die Frau ohne Schatten. With the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra under Yannick Nézet-Séguin, he toured to Baden-Baden and Paris as Wotan in Die Walküre. He has performed and recorded Brahms’ German Requiem with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Edward Gardener.  At the Teatro Regio Torino he made his role debut as the Dutchman, a role he will also sing with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Luxembourg Philharmonic and others. Other upcoming productions include Fidelio (Pizarro) at the Chicago Lyric Opera and Salome (Jochanaan) at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples.

The internationally sought-after artist is a regular guest at the most important opera houses, such as the Metropolitan Opera New York and the Zurich Opera, as well as at major festivals such as the Salzburg Festival and the Wiener Festwochen.

Brian Mulligan’s debut album, released in 2017 on the Naxos label, comprises two song cycles by Dominick Argento and was enthusiastically reviewed by the press. His second album, entitled Old Fashioned, consisting of American and British songs from the early 20th century, was released in 2019. Mahler’s 8th Symphony with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Gustavo Dudamel is available on DVD (Deutsche Grammophon).

Brian Mulligan’s third solo album entitled Alburnum was released in early 2022. It consists of songs and cycles from the 21st century, with pianist Timothy Long and music by Mason Bates, Missy Mazzoli and Greg Spears.