Performance Year: 2026
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 and dynamic performances and his reputation as an inventive collaborative artist.
The 2025/26 season showcases Boehler’s artistry both as a composer and a vocalist. His in-development comic opera, The Road to Wellville, which he is composing alongside librettist Tony Asaro, will receive workshops with both San Francisco Conservatory and the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music. On the performance stage, Boehler will appear as Don Magnifico in La Cenerentola with Arizona Opera and joins Pacific Chamber Orchestra for Handel’s Messiah. The season also includes a film project for future release.
Boehler began the 2024/25 Season with his Lyric Opera of Chicago debut, singing Antonio in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and covering Bartolo. With Florentine Opera, he appeared as Polyphemus in a new production of Handel’s Acis and Galatea, and he performed as bass soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with with the Madison Symphony. During the summer of 2025, he sang the roles of Moscone, Teamster, and Horst in Opera Parallèle’s production of Harvey Milk, followed by his return to Des Moines Metro Opera as Father Trulove in a new production of The Rake’s Progress.
A frequent collaborator in contemporary opera, Boehler 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. 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.
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, 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.
Hailing from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Boehler now resides in the San Francisco Bay Area. He trained as an actor at Viterbo College, a singer at the Juilliard School, and as a composer at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
