Hailed by Opera News as “powerful in both voice and bearing” and particularly noted for his commanding stage presence and expressive vocalism, American bass-baritone Seth Carico is distinguishing himself at home and internationally. Opera Today praised “the dynamic presence of Carico, whose ringing baritone gave much pleasure.” He effortlessly capitalizes on his dramatic training, bringing a unique sensitivity to operatic characters at disparate ends of the theatrical spectrum.

In the 2026/27 season, Seth Carico returns as Baron Scarpia in Tosca at Bern Stages, before taking on Nick Shadow in a new production of Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress at the National Theatre Prague and Iago in a new production of Verdi’s Otello at Opéra de Lille. A great highlight of the season follows with his debut at the Teatro alla Scala, where he appears as Henry Kissinger in a new production of Nixon in China under the baton of Kent Nagano.

His 2025/26 season featured a number of new productions. He made his debut at the National Theater in Prague as Finn in Otakar Ostrčil’s The Legend of Erin. He returned to the Komische Oper Berlin as Dreieinigkeitsmoses in The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. He took on the title role in Le nozze di Figaro at the Bern Stages and most recently he appeared on stage at the Dortmund Theater in the world premiere of Sarah Nemtsov’s opera Wir (We).

Seth Carico opened his 2024/25 season with his role debut as Nekrotzar in Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre in a new production by Pinar Karabulut under the musical direction of GMD Leo McFall at the Hessian State Theater in Wiesbaden. Another new production followed at the Cologne Opera with the title role in Don Giovanni, directed by Cecilia Ligorio and conducted by Thomas Netopil. An additional highlight of his season was the world premiere of Miroslav Srnka’s opera Voice Killer under the baton of Finnegan Downie Dear at the MusikTheater an der Wien, in which Seth Carico took on the leading role of serial killer Private Eddie Leonski in a dramatization of a true story. At the end of the season, he returned to the Grand Teton Music Festival to perform Beethoven’s 9^th Symphony under the baton of Donald Runnicles.

In recent seasons, Carico has built a robust repertoire with Deutsche Oper Berlin, where he was a member of the ensemble from 2010–2019. With the company he has performed Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro, Leporello in Don Giovanni, Sancho Pansa in Don Quichotte, The Doctor in Wozzeck, Dr. Kolenatý in Věc Makropulos, Saint-Bris in Les Huguenots, The Traveler et al. in Death in Venice, Oberthal in Le Prophète, Gunther in Götterdämmerung, Redburn in Billy Budd, the Police Commissioner in Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Klingsor in Parsifal, Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore, Sonora in La fanciulla del West, Abimélech in Samson et Dalila, and Kassandra in Oresteia, a role for which he was nominated for the 2015 German Faust Award. Elsewhere, recent highlights have included his role debut as Wotan in Die Walküre at Bern Stages and performances as Escamillo in Carmen with Austin Opera.

National Theater Prize, “Der Faust,” for Best Male Singer. In addition, he has portrayed Junius in The Rape of Lucretia, Biterolf in Tannhäuser, Farfarello in L’amour des trois oranges, Panthée in Les Troyens, the villains in Offenbach/Champert’s Hoffmann, Andrew Cunanan in the world premiere of Brandt Brauer Frick’s electronic opera Gianni, and The Father in the world premiere of Aribert Reimann’s L’invisible.

International guest engagements have included his house and role début as Don Giovanni with Dutch National Opera, his Dallas Opera début as the Minskman in Flight, Joseph de Rocher in Dead Man Walking with Minnesota Opera, Astradamors in Le grand macabre and Snow Queen/Reindeer/Clock in The Snow Queen with Radio Philharmonic Orchestra Amsterdam, Orest in Elektra with Stadttheater Klagenfurt, Fortnum Roscoe/ Johnson Evesham in the world premiere of Dai Fujikura and Harry Ross’ A Dream of Armageddon with New National Theatre Tokyo, Tonio in Pagliacci with Aalto-Musiktheater Essen, Scarpia in Tosca with Staatsoper Hannover, Nick Shadow in The Rake’s Progress with Theater Basel, Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro with Utah Opera and Tulsa Opera, Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore with Opera Saratoga, Panthée in Les Troyens with Staatsoper Hamburg, Antonio in Le nozze di Figaro with Oper Leipzig, The Sacristan in Tosca with Anhaltisches Theater Dessau, Roberto in I vespri siciliani and Marquis d’Obigny in La Traviata with Teatro Regio Torino, Leonidas in Lysistrata and Victor in the world premiere of Before Night Falls with Fort Worth Opera, and Marquis de Brisaille in the world premiere of David DiChiera’s Cyrano with Michigan Opera Theatre.

Concert appearances have included Bach’s Kantate Nr. 82, Mendelssohn’s Die erste Walpurgisnacht, Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Dvořák’s Stabat Mater, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Verdi’s Requiem, Handel’s The Messiah, Rossini’s Petite messe solennelle, Bach’s Coffee Cantata, and Mozart’s Requiem, with orchestras/ festivals including the Cologne Early Music Festival, the Nashville Symphony, the Atlanta Ballet, the Chautauqua Symphony, the Richmond Symphony, and the Michigan Sinfonietta. Carico was invited to offer a recital at the University of Michigan of Dvořák’s Cypřiše, accompanied by renowned pianist and specialist in Czech music, Timothy Cheek.

In the summer of 2012, Carico joined the prestigious Merola Opera Program at San Francisco Opera Center, finishing years of successful apprenticeships with companies such as Deutsche Oper Berlin, Teatro Regio Torino, Fort Worth Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Nashville Opera, Lake George Opera, and Chautauqua Opera. Seth won Fourth Prize in the Shreveport Opera Singer of the Year competition, the Grand Prize of the Orpheus National Vocal Competition, and an Encouragement Award from the Chautauqua Opera Guild.