Hailed as “a bass with an attitude and the goods to back it up,” by The New York Times and praised by the San Francisco Classical Voice for music that “harnesses considerable expressive power,” bass and composer Matt Boehler is known in the world of opera for his captivating, dynamic performances and his long-earned reputation as an inventive collaborative artist.
Matt’s calendar over the past several years has included engagements at some of classical music’s most prestigious venues. He has sung at The Metropolitan Opera in both Iolanta and The Nose, Théâtre Royal de La Monnaie in Daphne, Canadian Opera Company in The Magic Flute, and Santa Fe Opera in the world premiere of The Lord of Cries (Corigliano/Adamo).
During the 2023-2024 season, the bass will sing Frére Laurent in Toledo Opera’s production of Roméo et Juliette, as well as Gounod’s St. Cecilia Mass in La Crosse, Wisconsin. 2022-2023 saw Boehler’s role debut as Figaro in Madison Opera’s Le nozze di Figaro and returns to Madison Symphony for Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra for Bernstein’s Mass and Des Moines Metro Opera for The Love for Three Oranges and The Falling and the Rising (Redler/Dye). He also reprised the role of Van Helsing for the studio recording of The Lord of Cries with the GRAMMY-winning Boston Modern Orchestra Project. During the 2021-2022 season, Matt made his Florida Grand Opera debut in Rigoletto, debuted with Austin Opera in Fidelio, and returned to Des Moines Metro Opera for A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
A frequent collaborator in contemporary opera, Matt has premiered roles in Becoming Santa Claus (Adamo) with Dallas Opera and Chicago Opera Theater, Acquanetta (Gordon/Artman) with Prototype Festival, and Elizabeth Cree (Puts/Campbell) with Opera Philadelphia, among several others.
Recent seasons have displayed Matt’s versatility in a great array of repertoire, from Osmin in The Abduction from the Seraglio with Lyric Opera of Kansas City to Il Cieco in Iris with Bard Summerscape and Rocco in Fidelio with Madison Opera. He has been met with acclaim as Méphistophélès with Michigan Opera Theater (now Detroit Opera) and as Osmin with Des Moines Metro Opera, as well as the Hotel Manager in Powder Her Face with New York City Opera and Festival Opéra de Quèbec. He made his role debut as Baron Ochs in Der Rosenkavalier with Victory Hall Opera, where he is an ensemble member as both singer and composer. While an ensemble member at Theater St. Gallen in Switzerland, Matt excelled in staples of the bass repertoire like Leporello in Don Giovanni and Daland in Der fliegende Holländer, while embracing rarities such as Baldassare in Donizetti’s La favorita and Catalani’s La Wally.
Equally at home on the concert stage, he has appeared as soloist with the New York Philharmonic, American Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony, Portland Baroque Orchestra, and Oratorio Society of New York. In recital, he has been seen in several critically acclaimed performances with the New York Festival of Song and has concertized at the Spoleto Festival USA and with the Lotte Lehmann Foundation. His discography reflects his enthusiasm for new music and includes recordings of several world premieres by John Musto, William Bolcom and Michael Dellaira, as well as being featured on albums of song by Stefan Wolpe and David Conte.
Hailing from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Matt now proudly claims the San Francisco Bay Area as his home. He trained as an actor at Viterbo College, an opera singer at the Juilliard School, and as a composer at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.