About Ian
Hailing from the Washington D.C. area, Indian-American Countertenor Ian Pathak is a versatile performer in operatic, concert, and musical theatre repertoire. He is passionate about bringing classic and new stories to audiences across the nation.
Mr. Pathak opens his 2025/2026 season singing the role of Madame de la Haltière in Cendrillon by Massenet at CCM. In December 2025, He was invited back to Ann Arbor as a soloist for a Holiday Concert at which he performed alto selections from Handel’s Messiah. In January 2026, Mr. Pathak received an encouragement award from the Kansas City District of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. In April 2026, he will perform in the CCM Opera Scenes Program as Bertarido in Handel’s Rodelinda. In late April, Pathak will present his Master’s recital. In Summer 2026, Pathak will join the esteemed Des Moines Metro Opera as a Frank R. Brownell III Apprentice Artist.
Pathak’s 2024/2025 season highlights include his CCM Opera Mainstage debut as Podestà in La finta Giardiniera by Mozart. After Switching to countertenor from tenor, he performed the roles of Cesare and Tolomeo from Handel’s Giulio Cesare in the 2025 CCM 1st year scenes program. Mr. Pathak performed as the Alto Soloist in Histoire de jephté by Carrisimi as part of the Cincinnati Early Music Festival. In Summer 2025, he attended the Brevard Music Festival where he performed the role of Third Spirit in Mozart’s The Magic Flute in addition to other solo recital performances.
His 2023/2024 season opened with performing the role of Mercure in the University of Michigan’s production of Orphée aux enfers by Offenbach. later that year Mr. Pathak workshopped the role of Schoolteacher in The Pigeon Keeper by David Hanlon and Stephanie Fleischman. This was a co-production workshop between the University of Michigan and the Santa Fe Opera. In March 2024, He was named and competed as a finalist in the Opera Grand Rapids Vanderlaan Competition. Mr. Pathak also received 1st place in the Friday Morning Music Club’s Soe Goetz Ross Memorial Competition and 3rd place in the Southern Illinois Young Artists Competition. In Summer 2024, Mr. Pathak was a young artist with Opera Saratoga in Saratoga Springs, NY. There he covered Ferrando in Mozart’s Cosí fan tutte, performed Benny Southstreet and Harry the Horse in Guys and Dolls by Loesser.
In the 2022/2023 season, Mr. Pathak made his principal role debut as the Schoolmaster in the University of Michigan’s production of the Cunning Little Vixen by Janáček, sung in Czech. Immediately following this, he performed in the chorus of Verdi’s Aida at Detroit Opera. In February 2023, Mr. Pathak made his solo professional debut, at Toledo Opera, as Bogdonovatich in The Merry Widow by Lehár. In March 2023, he had performed the role of Willie Mossop in the Hobson’s Choice workshop, an upcoming opera written by Tom Cipullo. In Summer 2023, he attended the prestigious Lehrer Vocal Institute at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California. Co-directed by Sasha Cooke and John Churchwell, Pathak had the pleasure of performing in La Bohème and a curated scenes concert. He also had the privilege of studying with esteemed faculty, including César Cañon, Bill Schumann, and Tamara and Nino Sankidze.
In the 2021/2022 season, Mr. Pathak received 1st place in the National Society of Arts and Letters Winston Voice Competition, Washington D.C. Chapter, and a Director’s Award in the James Toland Competition. In Summer 2022, Mr. Pathak had the honor of training at the Aspen Music Festival (Opera Theatre and Vocal Arts) co-directed by Renée Fleming and Patrick Summers. There, he had the honor of performing scenes with orchestra, in the chorus of MainStage productions, and studied with renowned faculty including Myra Huang, Bill Billingham, Robin Rice, and César Ulloa.
Mr. Pathak is a current master's student at the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music, in the studio of Gwen Coleman. He previously completed his Bachelor's degree at the University of Michigan.
