about

Possessing a “vibrant stage presence and a rich, commanding voice” (La Scena Musicale), bass Matthew Li recently completed his residency at the Atelier lyrique de Opéra de Montréal. His operatic roles include Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Dulcamara in Elisir d’amore, Seneca in L’incoronazione di Poppea, Polyphemus in Acis and Galatea, Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte, Masetto and Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni, and Colline in La Bohème.

Concert highlights include the bass solos in Handel’s Messiah, Dvořák’s Stabat Mater, and Mozart’s Requiem.

An ardent collaborator with contemporaries, Li created the leading bass-baritone role of Xon Pon in Alice Ping Yee Ho and Madeleine Thien’s opera Chinatown (2022) with City Opera Vancouver in its world premiere, to critical acclaim. He also most recently premiered a new song cycle titled Triptych (2024) by Roydon Tse in Montréal.

Li is also known as a thoughtful and engaging performer in the art song recital, and has given successful performances with the Société d’art vocal de Montréal, Concerts@100, and as a voice fellow at the Toronto Summer Music Festival.

In the 2024-2025 season, Li serves as a Rebanks Fellow at The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, most notably portraying the role of Sarastro in their production of Die Zauberflöte. Other engagements include the bass solos in Handel’s Messiah at the Brott Music Festival and Haydn’s Die Schöpfung with Choeur Classique de Montréal. He also looks forward to making his role debut as Leporello in Don Giovanni with Opéra du Royaume.

October 2024