Seán Tester

A graduate of the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Irish lyric tenor Seán Tester entered the 2025/26 season at a significant moment in his development. He made his Wexford Festival Opera debut as a recipient of the Danone Young Outstanding Artist Award, joining the Wexford Factory to sing Conte di Libenskof in Rossini’s Il viaggio a Reims. He also debuted with National Symphony Orchestra Ireland as El Remendado in Bizet’s Carmen at the National Concert Hall, Dublin; a concert performance that was live broadcast on RTÉ Lyric FM.

Earlier this year, he made his London oratorio debut as tenor soloist in Mozart’s Requiem in D minor, K.626 at the Royal Festival Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, marking an important progression on the international concert platform. In the months ahead, he appears as Arbace in Mozart’s Idomeneo at Cadogan Hall, El Remendado in Carmen with IF Opera, Prince Nilsky in Prokofiev’s The Gambler at Wexford Festival Opera 2026 and as tenor soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125.

Alongside performance, Seán remains closely connected to the Royal Irish Academy of Music as its inaugural RIAM Emerging Artist Fellow. He serves as Series Ambassador for Drogheda Classical Music Series and has been named Artist in Association with Droichead Arts Centre for 2026, continuing his long-standing ties to his hometown’s cultural life.

Recent seasons have seen him build a wide-ranging repertoire across Ireland and abroad. In 2025 he returned to the Blackwater Valley Opera Festival as Snout in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, also appearing in recital. With Irish National Opera, he has performed in Guillaume Tell, La Bohème, La Traviata, Faust, Der fliegende Holländer and Rigoletto, covering Il Duca di Mantova. His international operatic role debut came in Switzerland as Rodolphe in Rossini’s Guillaume Tell in a co-production with Nouvel Opéra Fribourg/Neue Oper Freiburg.

As a concert and oratorio soloist, his repertoire includes Messiah, Johannes-Passion, Carmina Burana, and The Seven Last Words of Christ. Engagements have included the Dublin Bach Singers, Drogheda Classical Music Series with Celine Byrne and David Munro, and the Dublin Song Series with Dearbhla Collins. He made his international recital debut at the Franz Liszt Old Academy of Music, Budapest with Ella Nagy. He has performed Liebeslieder Walzer at the Dublin International Chamber Music Festival and appeared at RIAM ChamberFest 2025 performing Poème de l’amour et de la mer with acclaimed pianist Rowel Friers.

Seán’s artistic journey began in the vibrant musical community of Drogheda. He first trained at the Drogheda School of Performing Arts (The Little Duke Theatre), followed by formative years with St Peter’s Male Voice Choir, where his passion for ensemble singing grew. He went on to study at the Royal Irish Academy of Music, completing the Recital Artist Diploma and later the Master’s in Music Performance, graduating with distinction as a BVOF|RIAM John Pollard Bursary recipient.
Looking ahead, Seán continues to build an international career grounded in curiosity, craft, and a commitment to imaginative, emotionally engaged storytelling in opera, recital, and community performance.