Arizona Opera Cast Members & Creatives

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, dynamic performances and his long-earned 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, receives workshops with both San Francisco Conservatory and the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music. On the performance stage, Boehler bows as Don Magnifico in Cinderella (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, while also covering Bartolo. With Florentine Opera, he appeared as Polyphemus in a new production of Handel’s Acis and Galatea, and with the Madison Symphony, he bowed as the bass soloist in Mozart’s Requiem. 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.

During the 202/24 Season, the bass made his debut with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and conductor Kent Nagano, singing Stravinsky's Les noces, debuted the role of Arkel in Des Moines Metro Opera's new production of Pelléas et Mélisande, sang Frére Laurent in Toledo Opera’s production of Roméo et Juliette, appeared with West Edge Opera in the World Premiere of Bulrusher, and sang Beethoven's Symphony No. 9  with the Modesto Symphony, as well as Gounod’s St. Cecilia Mass in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Highlights of recent seasons include Iolanta and The Nose at the Metropolitan Opera; Sarastro in The Magic Flute with Canadian Opera Company; the World Premiere of The Lord of Cries (Corigliano/Adamo) with Santa Fe Opera; Bernstein’s Mass with the National Symphony Orchestra; Daphne with La Monnaie in Brussels; the title role in The Marriage of Figaro with Madison Opera; Rigoletto with Florida Grand Opera; Fidelio with Austin Opera; Osmin in The Abduction from the Seraglio with Lyric Opera of Kansas City and Des Moines Metro Opera; Il Cieco in Iris with Bard Summerscape; Rocco in Fidelio with Madison Opera; Gounod’s Méphistophélès with Michigan Opera Theater (now Detroit Opera); and the Hotel Manager in Powder Her Face with New York City Opera and Festival Opéra de Quèbec. He also made his role debut as Baron Ochs in Der Rosenkavalier with Victory Hall Opera, where he was an ensemble member as both singer and composer. While an ensemble member at Theater St. Gallen in Switzerland, Boehler excelled in staples of the bass repertoire like Leporello in Don Giovanni and Daland in Der fliegende Holländer, while embracing rarities such as Baldassare in Donizetti’s La favorita and Catalani’s La Wally.

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.

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, the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., 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. 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.

Hailing from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Boehler now proudly claims the San Francisco Bay Area as his home. He trained as an actor at Viterbo College, an opera singer at the Juilliard School, and as a composer at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.