About me:

Baritone Lifan Deng, originally from Shenzhen, China, and now based in Chicago, is a versatile performer whose work spans opera, musical theater, concert performance, straight theater, and sketch comedy. A proud member of the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), he holds a Master of Music in Voice and Opera from Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Music (Classical Voice) and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, completed through its partnership with the Cleveland Institute of Music.

Deng’s 2026–27 season includes several exciting company engagements. He joins Lyric Opera of Chicago’s supplementary chorus and makes his Sarasota Opera debut as an Apprentice Artist. At Sarasota, his assignments include the Messenger in La traviata, chorus and cover of the Mayor in Jenůfa, and chorus in H.M.S. Pinafore, alongside outreach performances and mainstage concerts. He will also serve as an Artist-in-Residence with El Paso Opera’s Opera en la Comunidad program, performing the Sheriff in Josh Shaw’s English-language Wild West adaptation of Bizet’s Dr. Miracle and taking part in a series of Curbside Opera concerts. In the spring, Deng joins Chicago Opera Theater for the Chicago premiere of Philip Glass’s The Juniper Tree, performing the Cobbler and covering the Husband. He will also appear as King Melchior in Shakespeare Opera Theatre’s Christmas production of Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors in McLean, Virginia.

Among Deng’s recent operatic highlights are Schaunard in La bohème, Masetto in Don Giovanni, and Fiorello in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Madison Opera, where he also appeared as Gregory Snodegar in the world premiere of Scott Gendel’s Everlasting Faint. In August 2026, he performed Klingsor in Parsifal at Tundi Productions’ Wagner in Vermont Festival. Other notable credits include Marco in Gianni Schicchi with Opera Company of Middlebury. Over two seasons, Deng toured as a teaching artist with Opera for the Young, performing Papageno in the company’s adaptation of The Magic Flute and Bill Corey in its adaptation of The Elixir of Love. He is a company member of the Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company in Chicago and has also worked with Opera Festival of Chicago, Third Eye Theatre Ensemble, Thompson Street Opera Company, and the Sparks Fly Upward Foundation.

Beyond opera, Deng maintains an active presence in concert performance and regional theater. He appeared as the bass soloist in Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms with the Madison Symphony Orchestra and was a Bass/Baritone Vocal Fellow with the Grant Park Music Festival Chorus. His musical theater credits include Rent with Capital City Theatre and Olin Britt in The Music Man with Metropolis Performing Arts Centre. His broader theater credits include productions with Big Noise Theatre, Convergence-Continuum in Cleveland, OH, Opera House Arts in Stonington, ME, and Renaissance Theatre in Mansfield, OH. He has also worked with Corn Productions and was a house team member with Improv Gladiators, bringing his experience in sketch comedy and improvisation to Chicago audiences.

In addition to performing, Deng has worked as a teaching artist with Global Voices Initiative, teaching music and theater to Chicago Public Schools students. He also maintains a private teaching practice, offering instruction and coaching in voice, musical theater, acting, and audition preparation.