Paul Chwe MinChul An is a Korean American muti-disciplinary bass singer. He has originated over thirty operatic, theatrical, film and concert roles, in addition to performing over sixty roles in the canon in a career spanning twenty-five years. Paul followed the advice of his teacher W. Stephen Smith at Juilliard, who told him to study and perform everything under the sun while achieving a specialist’s facility and depth in each discipline and genre.
An exciting upcoming 2026–2027 season include originating a role in a new work (I became We by Jack Coen and Mona Pirnot) at The Atlantic Theater Company, making a company debut at Lyric Opera of Kansas City as Benoit/Alcindoro in Puccini’s La bohème, reprising bass solos with Nicholas McGegan and The Trinity Baroque Orchestra in Handel’s Messiah, remounting Kamala Sankaram and Rob Handel’s Looking at You at Here, NYC, a return to LA Philharmonic with Meredith Monk and Wild Up for the epic Indra’s Net, and a role debut as Grand Inquisitor in Verdi’s Don Carlo with Resonance Works in Pittsburgh. Other projects feature workshop residences at Park Avenue Armory and Grace Farms, as well as collaborations with Fourth Wall Ensemble, and Trinity Wall Street.
Recent season highlights include originating the role of Henry in John Glover and Kelley Rourke’s Eat the Document at the PROTOTYPE Festival, which garnered wide critical acclaim. Paul has recently appeared with Meredith Monk worldwide including Holland Festival, and Park Avenue Armory in the epic Indra’s Net. Paul also recently bowed with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Maestro Jonathan Heyward in Stravinsky’s Renard, Chicago Opera Theater and Maestro Lidiya Yankovskaya as Archbishop in Szymanowski’s King Roger, and LA Philharmonic and Maestro Paolo Bortolameolli in Monk’s Atlas. He also originated roles in Byron Au Yong and Aaron Jafferis’s scrap metal opera, Stuck Elevator at Nashville Opera, Hawaii Opera Theater, Knoxville Opera, and San Jose State University.
As an oratorio/concert soloist, he has performed the works of early to contemporary masters with such groups as the London Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Choir of Trinity Wall Street, and Ensemble viii in venues ranging from school gyms to Carnegie Hall.
Although MinChul does not consider himself fixed to one discipline or genre, he particularly revels in the collaborative process of originating roles. He is lucky to call giants like Meredith Monk, Kamala Sankaram, Ellen Reid, Yuval Sharon, James Darrah, Beth Morrison, Kristin Marting, Alex Gedeon, O-Lan Jones, and Fahad Siadat his friends and collaborators.
Adjacent to the stage, Paul Chwe MinChul An is working to carve out space for underrepresented artists. As a consultant to performing arts organizations, board member of Overtone Industries, as well as member of the Queens Voice Lab, he is joining other beautiful and powerful voices to decolonize, build, and raise up artist communities.
Appearances at Lyric Opera
Benoit & Alcindoro, La bohème (2026)
