Željko Lučić

Željko Lučić (born 24 February 1968), is a Serbian operatic baritone who has had an active international career since 1993. He was a member of the Serbian National Theatre in Novi Sad from 1993 to 1998 and at the Frankfurt Opera from 1998 to 2008. He is particularly well known for his performances in the operas of Giuseppe Verdi; having portrayed a total of 23 leading roles from the great composer's works.

Early life and education Born in Zrenjanin, Lučić was a member of conductor Slobodan Bursać's Josif Marinković Mixed Choir in his native city while he was a teenager. Bursać encouraged him to pursue a career as a soloist and encouraged him to study singing with Dorotea Spasić in Belgrade. After studying for some years with Spasić, his teacher sent him to the voice studio of the famous mezzo-soprano Biserka Cvejić at the Music Academy in Novi Sad in 1991. Cvejić became his primary teacher and mentor, and in less than two years studying with her, he was offered a contract with the Serbian National Theatre in Novi Sad. In 1995 he won first prize at the international music competition in Bečej, and in 1997 he won first prize at the Francisco Viñas International Singing Competition in Barcelona.

Lučić has also appeared as a guest artist with numerous major opera houses internationally. He made his debut at the De Nederlandse Opera in 2002 in the roles of Guy de Montfort and Marcello. He sang Germont for his first appearance at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in 2003 and that same year sang the Count di Luna for his debut at the Teatro Comunale Florence.

He replaced Plácido Domingo in the 2019 Metropolitan Opera production of Macbeth after accusations of sexual harassment.