“A world class voice in every respect…”

Grammy-nominated artist Omar Najmi splits his time between composition and performance, maintaining a busy schedule as an operatic tenor. In the upcoming season, he will debut with The Spoleto Festival as Peter Quint in The Turn of the Screw, Boston Modern Orchestra Project as Demler in Frederick Douglass, the Tucson Symphony in Mozart’s Requiem, and he will return to Boston Lyric Opera as Enoch Snow in Carousel. Recent appearances include Handel’s Messiah with Boston Baroque and the Seattle Symphony, Simon in Adoration with LA Opera and Beth Morrison Projects, and the American Opera Initiative with Washington National Opera, where his new opera Mud Girl (created in collaboration with librettist Christine Evans) was presented at the Kennedy Center to great acclaim.

Other recent performing credits include Valcour in The Anonymous Lover with Boston Lyric Opera, Ruggero in La Rondine with Opera on the James, Lord Byron in the world-premiere of The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage with Guerilla Opera, Alessandro in Il Re Pastore with Orpheus PDX, Rodolfo in La Boheme with Opera Steamboat, Astolfo in Furiosus with Casa Italiana Zerilli Marimo, and Shakur in Thumbprint with Portland Opera.  He has appeared in concert as the tenor soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, Dvorak’s Stabat Mater and Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang with Greenwich Choral Society, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass with Coro Allegro, Haydn’s Mariazellermesse with Masterworks Chorale, and Bach’s St. John Passion, St. Matthew Passion, and Christmas Oratorio with Emmanuel Music. Najmi enjoys a long standing relationship with Boston Lyric Opera where he began his professional career as an Emerging Artist (2013-2015). He has performed over 15 productions at the company, and he served as their first ever Emerging Composer in the 2020/2021 season. His other operatic engagements have included Opera Colorado, Chautauqua Opera, Annapolis Opera, Opera Saratoga, Opera Maine, Opera Fayetteville, Opera NEO, Opera North, Odyssey Opera, American Lyric Theater, and more. Najmi made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2018 as the tenor soloist in Mark Hayes’ Gloria. He has since returned as the soloist in Dan Forrest’s Requiem for the Living, and as a soloist in Talents of the World Inc.’s Caruso Tribute Concert. He has performed several times as a soloist with the touring concert Video Games Live, including an appearance with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra at the Red Rocks Amphitheater. Najmi has been the recipient of the Harold Norblom Award from Opera Colorado, the Stephen Shrestinian Award from Boston Lyric Opera, 2nd prize from the Wilkinson Young Singers Fund, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson Fellowship from Emmanuel Music, 2nd place nationally in the Handel Aria Competition, and he has been a regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions. 

Najmi began his composition career with the production of his first opera, En la ardiente oscuridad, in 2019. After a run of sold-out performances, he was invited to serve as the first ever Emerging Composer in residence with Boston Lyric Opera, where he worked with Boston Youth Poet Laureate Alondra Bobadilla in the creation of the song cycle my name is Alondra. The piece received its live premiere on BLO’s Street Stage in 2021. In 2022, his motet The Last Invocation was premiered by Emmanuel Music. His second opera This Is Not That Dawn was premiered in concert by Catalyst New Music in 2022, and his song cycle More Than Our Own Caves received its premiere with Juventas New Music Ensemble in 2023. Najmi was a 2023 finalist in Atlanta Opera’s 96-Hour Opera Project, and his recent opera Jo Dooba So Paar was presented by White Snake Projects as part of their “Let’s Celebrate” initiative. He was a member of Washington National Opera’s 2025 American Opera Initiative, which commissioned and premiered his and Christine Evans’ opera Mud Girl.