'Darwin Prakash, as Schaunard, was sharply dressed and sharper still in movement, his baritone agile and bright... His backstory is nearly operatic: discovered in Delhi, nurtured at the Glyndebourne Academy, trained at the RAM. He now looks entirely at home'
London Unattached
Darwin Prakash is the recipient of the Queen's Commendation for Excellence Award at Royal Academy of Music and the Gus Christie Award at Glyndebourne Opera. He was recently elected as the Associate of Royal Academy of Music in recognition of his contribution to Western Classical Music and Opera and also is the past winner of National Mozart Competition in the UK. Future seasons already see him making debuts at English National Opera and Huston Grand Opera.
A 2019 graduate of Royal Academy of Music, London where he pursued Masters in Performance and Advanced Diploma in Opera under the tutelage of Prof. Mark Wildman after being discovered by renowned British vocal pedagouge Dr. Robert Alderson in Delhi in the summer of 2014.
He has made rapid progress in his career as he was immediately invited upon his graduation to Staatsoper Hannover as a Young Artist. Soon he was promoted as the principal baritone in the ensemble of Staatsoper Hannover where he made a string of important role debuts such as Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Marcello in La Boheme, Papageno in Die Zauberflote, Conte Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro and premiered the roles of Chou Enlai in Nixon in China, Silvio in I Pagliacci and Arjuna in Satyagraha.
As a guest artist Darwin has performed Marcello La boheme at Longborough Festival Opera, Chou Enlai Nixon in China at Staatsoper Stuttgart, Geronimo Il Matrimonio segreto at Royal Opera House Mumbai, Minos Arianna in Creta at London Handel Festival, Belcore L'elisir d'amore at Waterperry Opera Festival and most recently completing a successful run and debut as Schaunard in Floris Visser's production of La Boheme at Glyndebourne Opera.
Equally adept in concert and recital world, Darwin has done recitals at Villa Seligmann - House of Jewish Music and Culture in Hannover performing songs by Korngold, Songs of War recital at St. James' Church Piccadilly performings songs by George Butterworth and Ivor Gurney, Finzi Bluthner Recital at Guernsey performing songs by Gerald Finzi and as the soloist in Beethoven's 9th Symphony and Handel's Messiah.
He now looks forward to performing Beethoven 9th Symphony in Banglore, India with South Asian Symphony Orchestra in November 2025 and later making his role debut as Guglielmo at ENO in February 2026.