MATTHEW PEARCE

Praised for his “confidence,” “brightness,” and “high level of control” (OperaWire), Mr. Pearce is a recent graduate of the Cafritz Young Artist at Washington National Opera who hails from the small town of Union, Kentucky.

In the 2022-2023 season, the rising spinto will make his professional debut with Portland Opera as Don José in their production of Carmen. During his 2021-2022 season, Mr. Pearce performed the role of Don José Francesca Zambello’s production of Carmen conducted by Evan Rogister at Washington National Opera, and he participated in the Kennedy Center’s Honors in a tribute for Justino Diaz.

During the 2019-2020 season, Mr. Pearce performed the role of Monostatos in the Maurice Sendak production of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and the First Philistine in SaintSaëns’ Samson et Dalila conducted by John Fiore at Washington National Opera. The lyric tenor also sang the Guard in the world premiere of David Lang’s new opera, prisoner of the state with The New York Philharmonic under the baton of Jaap van Zweden at David Geffen Hall.

Highlights of previous seasons include performances of John Corigliano’s Poem in October with the Juilliard Orchestra and Juilliard’s AXIOM ensemble led by Jeffrey Milarsky and a debut at David Geffen Hall for the New York premiere of Angela Rice’s Easter Oratorio Thy Will be Done with the National Chorale. Additionally, Mr. Pearce had the honor of performing The Magician in a reduced version of Menotti’s The Consul at the U.S. Supreme Court for the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Mr. Pearce spent two seasons at the Chautauqua Institution where he appeared as Don José in Bizet’s Carmen and Tebaldo in Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi.

Mr. Pearce earned his Master of Music from the Juilliard School where he studied with the legendary Marlena Malas and a Bachelor of Music at the University of Kentucky under the tutelage of Dr. Everett McCorvey. He currently studies with Laura Brooks Rice.