“Dimitri Pittas was every inch the star, conveying Werther’s emotional turmoil. Pittas was so dramatically effective that he made one believe that Werther’s tragic end was inevitable from the start. This role is a perfect match for Pittas’s formidable vocal and theatrical talent.”
- Lawrence Budmen, South Florida Classical Review
Short Biography
Tenor Dimitri Pittas has graced leading opera stages across North America and Europe, including the Bavarian State Opera, Vienna State Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Bolshoi, and Canadian Opera Company. A graduate of The Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, Dimitri joins the company once again for the 2026-2027 season opening production of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. He has also portrayed iconic roles such as Rodolfo, Macduff, Nemorino, and Tamino on the Met stage. His repertoire spans the title roles of Don Carlo, Werther, and Faust, Don José in Carmen, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Riccardo in Un Ballo in Maschera, Cavaradossi in Tosca, and more.
Recent engagements include debuts as Cavaradossi with Opera Utah, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Irish National Opera, and as Don José at Welsh National Opera. Dimitri also performed Pinkerton in Anthony Minghella’s production of Madama Butterfly at English National Opera. In concert, he has sung Verdi’s Requiem with the Atlanta Symphony, the Portland Symphony, and at the BBC Proms, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Oslo Philharmonic.
In 2022, Mr. Pittas joined the vocal arts faculty at Manhattan School of Music, where he brings a wealth of experience and inspires students with his passion for the performing arts. He is also the coordinator of master classes and competitions at MSM, utilizing his 20 year career to bring in artists to guide the next generation of talented vocal artists.
La bohéme, Oper Frankfurt
Teaching Philosophy
Every singer has a voice that is completely their own, and my role as a teacher is to help uncover and refine that voice so it can be shared with honesty and confidence. I want my students to feel both technically grounded and artistically free, so that every phrase they sing is rooted in healthy production and genuine expression.
My own journey as an international tenor — performing at the Metropolitan Opera, Vienna State Opera, Covent Garden, and beyond — deeply informs how I teach. But more than technique and repertoire, I pass on the values that sustain a long career: consistency, preparation, resilience, and authenticity. As a professor of voice at Manhattan School of Music, I work with young artists on the cusp of their professional lives, and in my private studio I welcome singers of all backgrounds: conservatory students, crossover and Broadway performers, and those who sing purely for joy.
At the center of my teaching is the bel canto tradition — freedom of breath, clarity of tone, and beauty of line. But bel canto is not about rigidity; it is about flexibility and truth. Whether you are singing Schubert, Mozart, or Sondheim, the foundation remains the same: technique is in service of artistry, never the other way around.
I encourage my students to trust their instruments, let go of overthinking, and sing with authenticity. Lessons are collaborative, direct, and energizing — a place to experiment, to be challenged, and to grow. My goal is that each student leaves with tools they can immediately apply, and a deeper sense of who they are as an artist.
In short: I teach singers to sing with freedom, truth, and artistry — the way music was meant to be experienced.