Tenor Demetrious Sampson Jr., is a multifaceted operatic artist from Albany, Georgia. He finished his undergraduate studies at Georgia State University’s School of Music in May of 2023, after which, he joined the Sarah and Ernest Butler Studio at the Houston Grand Opera. During his two seasons, he has received invaluable on-stage training in shows like Parsifal, Il Trovatore, and La bohème. The summer of 2025 saw the tenor’s return to Des Moines Metro Opera as Steuermann in Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman. Upcoming in the 2025-2026 season, Demetrious will conclude his time in the Studio singing the principal roles, Sportin’ Life in Porgy and Bess, Lennie in Carlisle Floyd’s Of Mice and Men, and The Witch in Hänsel und Gretel. Elsewhere, he makes his role and company debut as Rodolfo in La bohème with Austin Opera.
During the summer of 2024, Mr. Sampson made company and role debuts with Cincinnati Opera as Gastone in La traviata, and Wolf Trap Opera as a Filene Artist portraying the Kronprinz in Silent Night by Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell. He was a 2023 member of the Merola Opera Program where he performed in their highly reviewed song recital, scenes program, and the Merola Grand Finale on the War Memorial Stage at San Francisco Opera. He made his Des Moines Metro Opera debut the previous summer, as the Crab Man in their production of Porgy and Bess.
In concert, Demetrious made his company and role debut as the tenor in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Savannah Philharmonic in 2024. He then returned to Eugene and the Eugene Concert Choir and Orchestra to make his debut in Händel’s Messiah. In 2023, Demetrious made his Kennedy Center debut with the Washington Chorus. On this concert, which commemorated the 60th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, he sang the tenor in Undine Smith Moore’s challenging yet poignant Scenes from the Life of a Martyr, a work for which he was fortunate to create the first commercially available recording with the Eugene Concert Choir and Orchestra. He has also performed concerts with the Evansville Philharmonic, the Des Moines Metro Opera Orchestra, and The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.
An avid competitor, Demetrious has been the recipient of several national and international honors. In 2023 he was the Second Place and Audience Choice winner in Houston Grand Opera’s 35th Annual Eleanor McCollum Competition and was one of 10 Grand Finalists in The Metropolitan Opera’s 2023-2024 Laffont Competition.
