Matthew Anchel

23 year old Bass, Matthew Anchel has been called a “voice to watch” by The Wall Street Journal and has been praised for his "solid low tones and stylish baroque coloratura," by the Palm Beach Daily News.  In the 2010-2011 season, Matthew joined LA Opera as a part of the Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program, where he sang the roles of Count Ceprano (Rigoletto) and 4th Noble (Lohengrin), both under the baton of James Conlon. He recently made his LA Philharmonic debut in the world premiere of Barry's opera, The Importance of Being Ernest as Doctor Chasuble, and was called "engagingly funny and mind-bogglingly virtuosic," by the LA Times. Mr. Anchel will join the ensemble of Oper Leipzig in the fall of 2011. Mr. Anchel will be singing the bass solos in the Mozart Corronation Mass with The Scripps College Choir and will also be singing the Bass Solo in the Verdi Requiem with Chorale Bel Canto. He will also be singing in the Loren L. Zachary Vocal Competition Grand Finals concert in May singing two arias with orchestra.

He began the 2009-2010 season with his European debut as the title role in Le nozze di Figaro with the Intermezzo Opera Festival in Brugge, Belgium.  He continued by making three role and company debuts: Balthazar (Amahl and the Night Visitors) with Chelsea Opera, Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte), and Sparafucile (Rigoletto) with New York Lyric Opera Theatre, Enrico VIII (Anna Bolena) with the dell’arte Ensemble, Famigliare in Maria di Rohan with The Caramoor Music Festival. Performances in the 2008-2009 season included Somnus in Ken Merrill’s production of Semele and Mr. Peachum in Dona D. Vaughn's production of The Beggar’s Opera, both at Manhattan School of Music; First Soldier in Salome with Opera Theatre of St. Louis, for which he was called “big-voiced” by the Post-Dispatch and a “standout” by Opera News; and his first performance of The Messiah with The Champlain Oratorio Society in Plattsburgh, New York.

Previous performances include his professional debut as Horaste in William Walton’s opera Troilius and Cressida as a Gerdine Young Artist at Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and Patience the Lion in Lucas Foss’ Griffelkin with Manhattan School of Music Opera, a performance which Opera News declared “stole the show”.

Matthew is a recipient of many awards, including 3rd Place in the Palm Beach Opera Competition (Junior Division), an Encouragement Award from Opera index, an Encouragement Award from the George London Foundation, and 2009 New England Region Finalist (Boston District Winner) and a 2010 Western Region Finalist (Los Angeles District Winner) of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Mr. Anchel was born and raised in New York City, where he first attended the famed LaGuardia Performing Arts High School, and later attended Manhattan School of Music where he began studying with his current teacher, Patricia McCaffrey.
Video, reviews and other information may be found at:
www.matthewanchel.com