American tenor Matthew White, whom the New York Classical Review said had a “distinctive tenor [with a] dark and powerful lyric sound” is, in the 2022-2023 season performing Alfredo in La traviata with Houston Grand Opera, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Opéra de Montréal, Duca in Rigoletto with Utah Opera, and for his much anticipated European debut, Don José in Carmen with Oper im Steinbruch in Austria. On the concert stage, he will sing the Shepherd in Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex with Houston Symphony, and Handel’s Messiah with Nashville Symphony and the US Naval Academy in Annapolis. In the 2021-2022 season, Matthew White performed Don José with Santa Fe Opera, Rodolfo in La bohème with Detroit Opera and Spoleto Festival USA; Don José with Arizona Opera, Lancelot in Chausson’s Le roi Arthus with Bard SummerScape, and the title role in Faust et Hélène with the Houston Symphony.
Engagements of the 2019-2020 season included role and house debuts including Rodolfo in La bohème with Opera Naples and with the Florida Orchestra as the tenor soloist in Handel’s Messiah. recently made critically acclaimed debuts as Roméo in Gounod’s Roméo et Juiliette with Cincinnati Opera, the Duca in Rigoletto with Edmonton Opera and Pinkerton in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly with the Princeton Festival.
A graduate of Philadelphia’s prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts, Mr. White performed Roméo in Roméo et Juliette, the title role in Massenet’s Werther, Roberto in Puccini’s Le Villi, Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Avito in Montemezzi’s L’amore dei tre re, and Faust in Lili Boulanger’s Faust et Helene. He made his debut with Opera Maine as Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi, and has appeared with Palm Beach Opera and Vero Beach Opera. Concert credits include performances with the New Jersey Festival Orchestra, Ocean City Pops, and the Longfellow Chorus Festival.
A favorite of competitions, Mr. White was selected to compete in the 2019 Operalia Competion in Prague. He was awarded the Grand Prize of the Gerda Lissner International Vocal Competition, 1st place in the Deborah Voigt International Vocal Competition, 2nd place in the Metropolitan Opera Mid-Atlantic region, the Grand Prize in the Mario Lanza Vocal Competition, an Encouragement Award from the George London Foundation, and is the recipient of the Alfonso Cavaliere Award. He has participated in the training programs of Bel Canto at Caramoor, PORTopera, and Seagle Music Colony.
A trained violinist, Mr. White is also an avid surfer and runs his own surfboard business, which currently has clients around the world.