With a voice of "rich presence and power" (OPERA TODAY), American bass-baritone Brad Smoak has rapidly emerged as one of the stage's most exciting and sought-after talents. Known for his compelling presence on both the operatic and musical theater stages, Smoak continues to delight audiences with his “easy charismatic charm” and unique versatility across a wide variety of musical styles and theatrical characterizations. A graduate of the prestigious Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center, he has performed ten roles with Lyric Opera of Chicago since his 2014 debut, and has shared the stage with such operatic legends as Placido Domingo, Renee Fleming, and Ferruccio Furlanetto. Mr. Smoak received critical acclaim for his performances in Les Troyens, Le nozze di Figaro, Carmen, Don Quichotte, all at Lyric Opera of Chicago, as well as a new production of Wozzeck directed by David McVicar and conducted by Sir Andrew Davis. He also originated the role of General Benjamín in Bel Canto, a newly commissioned work by Jimmy Lopez and Nilo Cruz that was featured on PBS as part of their Great Performances series. Additional credits include leading and supporting roles with Palm Beach Opera, New York City Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Boston Lyric Opera, Michigan Opera Theater, Sarasota Opera, and Omaha Opera, to name a few, along with concert appearances with Chicago Symphony Orchestra. His international operatic debut came in 2009 when he performed with the renowned Wexford Festival Opera in Ireland. Equally at home performing musical theater and crossover repertoire, Brad Smoak was awarded the Top Prize at the 2017 Lotte Lenya Competition, showcasing his flexibility while spanning multiple styles and genres. Smoak was also recently named a 2017 winner of The Richard F. Gold Career Grant from the Shoshana Foundation for his work at Lyric Opera of Chicago, as well as the Top Award from the American Opera Society of Chicago in 2016. He was also the inaugural winner of the Marc Blitzstein Award from the 2016 Lotte Lenya Competition, highlighting his performance of musical theater from the “Golden Era”. In recital, Brad Smoak has been featured in the intimate Beyond the Aria series, directed by pianist Craig Terry and presented by the Harris Theater at Millenium Park in Chicago. He has also appeared multiple times as a guest soloist on WFMT's Ryan Opera Center Recital Series, performing a wide range of repertoire from operatic arias to musical theater anthems, contemporary art songs to neopolitan classics.