Étienne Dupuis Steps In as Escamillo at Wiener Staatsoper

The Wiener Staatsoper has announced that baritone Étienne Dupuis will sing Escamillo in "Carmen" on Oct. 17, 2026. The company confirmed the cast change in a statement, without naming the singer he replaces.

Dupuis made his feelings plain in a direct statement. "I couldn't say no when the Wiener Staatsoper asked me to step in as Escamillo in 'Carmen' tomorrow," he said. "It may not be my favorite role, but I love this house and its audience so much. I'm delighted that this will be my third production there this season, with two more still to come!"

Who joins him on stage?

The performance gathers a high-profile cast. Dupuis listed his colleagues by name:

• Stéphanie d'Oustrac as Carmen
• Roberto Alagna as Don José
• Anna Bondarenko as Micaëla

The production comes from director Calixto Bieito, with Henrik Nánási on the podium. Dupuis closed his statement with a traditional send-off: "Toi toi toi to everyone for tomorrow!"

The baritone's candor is unusual. Few singers publicly admit that a role falls short of a favorite, least of all days before stepping into it at one of the world's leading houses. Dupuis framed the decision around loyalty to the theater and its public rather than the part itself.

What does this change for Vienna's season?

For audiences, the Oct. 17 performance gains a singer with an established relationship to the house. Dupuis has already appeared at the Staatsoper in a production of "Macbeth" this season. He is also set to return in stagings of "Don Carlos" and "The Pearl Fishers" there before the season ends.

That makes five productions in Vienna for the baritone across a single season, counting "Carmen." The engagement places him among the most visible singers on the company's roster this year, a mark of the institution's confidence in his reliability on short notice.

The one-night substitution also carries weight for the cast around him. Alagna's Don José opposite d'Oustrac's Carmen anchors the performance, and Bieito's staging, conducted by Nánási, sets the frame within which Dupuis must integrate quickly.

What remains uncertain, on the evidence available, is whether Dupuis extends beyond the Oct. 17 date. The announcement covers a single performance, and the company has not indicated further appearances as Escamillo. Either way, the evening now offers Vienna's public a baritone who says he values the house above the role, in a part he admits is not his first love, delivered at speed.