Mexican-Dutch baritone Emmanuel Franco has established an international career distinguished by his versatility, refined musicianship and charismatic stage presence. Particularly acclaimed for his interpretations of Rossini and the bel canto repertoire, he is also an experienced interpreter of Mozart, Puccini and Spanish lyric theatre.

He has appeared at opera houses and festivals including the Wexford Festival Opera, Rossini in Wildbad, Opéra national du Rhin, Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville, Ópera de Oviedo, Teatro Filarmonico di Verona, Fondazione Teatro Coccia in Novara and Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe.

2026/27 SEASON

In the 2026/27 season, Emmanuel Franco appears as Juan in the modern revival of Paul Vidal’s Guernica with the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, conducted by José Miguel Pérez-Sierra and staged by Pablo Viar.

Further engagements include Figaro in Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia at the Fondazione Teatro Coccia in Novara, Marullo in Verdi’s Rigoletto at Ópera de Las Palmas and Don Alvaro in Il viaggio a Reims at the Royal Opera Festival in Kraków. He also makes his operatic debut at Madrid’s Teatro de la Zarzuela as Don Diego in Jacinto Guerrero’s El huésped del Sevillano.

RECENT HIGHLIGHTS

Recent operatic highlights include Fernando in Rossini’s La gazza ladra at Rossini in Wildbad and the Royal Opera Festival in Kraków, Taddeo in L’italiana in Algeri at the Teatro Coccia in Novara, and Dandini in La cenerentola at Rossini in Wildbad. He has also appeared as Leporello in Don Giovanni at the Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville, Morales in Carmen at Ópera de Oviedo, and Juan de Eguía in Sorozábal’s La tabernera del puerto at the Teatro Pérez Galdós in Gran Canaria.

A regular guest at Rossini in Wildbad, Franco has developed a particularly close association with the festival, performing a wide range of roles including Bruschino Padre in Il signor Bruschino, Buralicchio in L’equivoco stravagante, Aliprando in Matilde di Shabran, the Caliph in Adina and Albertone in Romilda e Costanza.

Further career highlights include the title role in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Michele in Il tabarro at Ópera de Oviedo, Count Almaviva in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro at Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, Belcore in L’elisir d’amore in Pamplona and Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with Livermore Valley Opera. At Wexford Festival Opera, he appeared as Mustafa in Rossini’s Adina and Camillo in the world premiere of Andrew Synnott’s La cucina, directed by Rosetta Cucchi.

Alongside his operatic career, Franco is active in the Spanish lyric repertoire, having performed Lamparilla in El barberillo de Lavapiés, Vidal Hernando in Luisa Fernanda and Juan de Eguía in La tabernera del puerto. In April 2026, he presented his recital Alma Latina at Madrid’s Teatro de la Zarzuela, exploring Mexican and Spanish vocal music.

His concert repertoire includes Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Handel’s Messiah and Mozart’s Requiem. He has also participated in several recordings for Naxos, collaborating with conductors including Antonino Fogliani, Luciano Acocella and José Miguel Pérez-Sierra.

Born in Tijuana, Mexico, Franco studied at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the Dutch National Opera Academy in Amsterdam. From 2015 to 2017, he was a member of the Opera Studio at the Opéra national du Rhin in Strasbourg.

SELECTED ROLES

Figaro · Il barbiere di Siviglia

Fondazione Teatro Coccia, Novara

Dandini · La cenerentola

Rossini in Wildbad · Fondazione Teatro Coccia

Leporello · Don Giovanni

Teatro de la Maestranza, Seville

Gianni Schicchi · Gianni Schicchi

Ópera de Oviedo

Fernando · La gazza ladra

Rossini in Wildbad · Royal Opera Festival, Kraków