Described by The Times as “the impressive De Eça” and by OperaWire as “a tenor for the future,” Portuguese tenor José de Eça is rapidly establishing himself as one of the most exciting voices of his generation on the international opera stage.
He began his musical training under his father, the distinguished baritone and lieder specialist José de Oliveira Lopes, before continuing at the Conservatório Superior de Música de Gaia. He made his professional debut in productions including Amahl and the Night Visitors, The Sound of Music, Eloise, Brundibár, Die Zauberflöte, and Le Nozze di Figaro. His repertoire now includes leading tenor roles such as the Duke (Rigoletto), Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Don José (Carmen), Rodolfo (La Bohème), Cavaradossi (Tosca), Dick Johnson (La Fanciulla del West), and Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor).
In the 2022/23 season, de Eça performed Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly) at Dublin’s National Concert Hall, as well as Don José and Tamino, and appeared as the Duke in a semi-staged Rigoletto. In 2024, he made a critically acclaimed debut as Cavaradossi with Opera Holland Park in London, later reprising the role in Portugal.
In 2025, he made his London debut as Edgardo (Lucia di Lammermoor) with Opera Holland Park to widespread praise.
Looking ahead, de Eça will debut as Macduff (Macbeth) for Chelsea Opera’s 75th anniversary, appear in Germany at Alte Oper Frankfurt, and perform as tenor soloist in Ponchielli’s Messa at Teatro São Carlos, Lisbon. In 2026, he will open the year with the New Year’s Concert in Serbia and return to London as Dick Johnson (La Fanciulla del West) and Calaf (Turandot), followed by his Austrian debut in 2027 as Alfred (Die Fledermaus).
Alongside opera, he has appeared in oratorio, including Haydn’s Missa in Angustiis and Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle with the Círculo Portuense de Ópera, and Puccini’s Messa di Gloria in Gran Canaria.
An accomplished recitalist, he has performed across Portugal, Brazil, Chile, France, Italy, Spain, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, China, Egypt, Mozambique, and Ireland. In September 2025, he completed a successful recital tour of China, performing at Chengdu City Concert Hall, Chanba Poly Theatre (Xi’an), and Mianyang Concert Hall.
His debut recording, Dichterliebe (KNS Classical, 2021), features Schumann’s Dichterliebe and Liszt’s Tre Sonetti di Petrarca.
He has collaborated with leading artists and conductors including Elena Mosuc, Markus Huber, Paule Grimaldi, Álvaro Teixeira Lopes, Luís Costa, Ángel González, Armando Vidal, Jonathan Brandani, Anne Sophie Duprels, Matthew Kofi Waldren, Stephen Barlow, Renaud Doucet, Paul Edelmann, and Amanda Echalaz.
