MATTHEW VICKERS
TENOR
BIOGRAPHY
American tenor Matthew Vickers has been praised for his “brilliant and golden voice” (Die Kleine Zeitung), his “burnished sound and confident acting” (National Post) and hailed as “a gutsy performer whose glowing tenor voice has interestingly dark, baritonal undertones” (Opera Now).
Last season, Mr. Vickers sang Alfredo in La Traviata with Opera Delaware/Opera Baltimore, Pollione in Norma with Opera Tampa, and returned to Lyric Opera of Chicago to cover the title role in Ernani. This season, he joins Staatstheater Darmstadt as a member of the ensemble where he will sing the title role in Les contes d’Hoffmann and Alfredo in La Traviata.
In recent seasons, he débuted with Lyric Opera of Chicago as Malcolm in Macbeth, sang Canio in Pagliacci with Opera in Williamsburg, returned to one of his signature roles, Rodolfo in La bohème, with Virginia Opera, sang Foresto in Attila with Sarasota Opera, and made his role and company début at Baltimore Concert Opera as Maurizio in Adriana Lecouvreur.
READ MORE
Additionally, he made many exciting engagements such as Cavaradossi in Tosca with Virginia Opera, Alfredo in La Traviata with Dayton Opera, Rodolfo in La bohème with Dayton Opera, Principe Dimitri in Risurrezione with the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Carmel Symphony. Mr. Vickers was also slated to appear as Sam in Susannah with Annapolis Opera, the Duke in Rigoletto with Virginia Opera, and Calaf in Turandot with the Evansville Philharmonic, (canceled due to COVID-19). Mr. Vickers performed the role of Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with Opera Memphis, was in concert with Sarasota Opera, débuted with the Macerata Festival as Don José in Carmen, and sang Canio in Pagliacci with the Savannah Music Festival.
Other significant engagements for Mr. Vickers have included his début as Arnold in Guillaume Tell with Opera Southwest as well as returns to Opera Western Reserve as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Sarasota Opera as Des Grieux in Manon Lescaut, Opera Roanoke as Rodolfo in La bohème, and Opera Delaware as Luigi in Il tabarro. He performed the role of Don José in Carmen with Opera Western Reserve, covered Canio in Pagliacci with Virginia Opera, sang Avito in Montemezzi's L'amore dei tre re with Sarasota Opera, Sam in Carlisle Floyd's Susannah with Opera Roanoke, Luigi in Il tabarro with the Opera Company of Middlebury, and the Duke in Rigoletto with Ashlawn Opera. He made his Sarasota Opera début as Arrigo in La battaglia di Legnano, stepping in for an ailing colleague; took part in the east coast premiere of Amleto with Opera Delaware as Laertes, and performed the title role in L’amico Fritz with Boston Midsummer Opera. Additionally, he sang Rodolfo in La bohème with Penn State Opera Theatre and Turiddu in Cavalleria rusticana with Minnesota Concert Opera.
As an oratorio soloist, Mr. Vickers has performed Handel’s Messiah with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra, Mozart’s Regina coeli with Williamsport Symphony Orchestra, and concerts such as Opera 101 with St. Cloud Performing Arts Center, Viva Verdi with the McPhail Center of Music.
The recipient of numerous awards and honors, Mr. Vickers earned Third Prize in the Annapolis Voice Competition in 2015; in 2014, he received the Encouragement Award in the D.C. Region of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (MONCA) and in 2013, he won the Philadelphia District of the MONCA. In 2012, he was awarded the Audience Favorite and Third Prize Awards at the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) Meistersinger Concert in Graz, Austria. He is also the winner of both Penn State University and Lynchburg College’s Concerto Competitions and a two-time award recipient at the National Associations of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Competition.
Mr. Vickers received training from the young artist programs at Virginia Opera, Sarasota Opera, and the American Institute of Musical Studies, in Graz, Austria. He holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from Penn State University and a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Lynchburg College.
Current as of August 30, 2023
CRITICAL ACCLAIM
"... beautifully produced lirico-spinto..." – Opera News
Roméo et Juliette– “There was real chemistry between her and her Romeo, Matthew Vickers, whose beautifully produced lirico-spinto was a pleasure to hear. Both of these roles are strenuous, requiring great stamina and extremes of range."
__________
“... Vickers gives the performance of his life…” – OperaGene.com
La bohème– “Tenor Matthew Vickers gives the performance of his life as Rodolfo; his burnished metallic tenor sounded the best I have heard him, hitting all the high notes."
__________
"... a ringing tenor …” – Chicago Classical Review
Macbeth – “Matthew Vickers displayed a ringing tenor in his company debut as Malcolm.”
__________
"... innately warm and tender..." – MusicWeb International
Risurrezione (DVD & Blu-ray) – “Matthew Vickers certainly manages to hold up his end of the dramatic situation, and his plangent voice is a real asset in his extended remorse in the final two Acts… Matthew Vickers’ Dimitri: there is something innately warm and tender in his singing and he conveys, at every stage, the essential niceness of the character, which is essential to Alfano’s conception, though not to Tolstoy’s. These two characters so dominate the opera that the rest of the cast are effectively all supporting roles.”
__________
"... impressed throughout..." – Opera News
Tosca– “An appealing cast got to the heart of the drama . . . A natural at conveying Cavaradossi’s charm and self-confidence, Matthew Vickers gave the performance its first big musical jolt with a fervent, yet thoroughly elegant, “Recondita armonia” sculpted in long-breathed phrases. . . the tenor’s overall suavity of tone and technique impressed throughout.”