Bass MATTHEW ANCHEL (Dr. Chasuble) has been called a “voice to watch” by the Wall Street Journal and has been praised for his “solid low tones and stylish Baroque coloratura.” In the 2009/10 season he sang the title role in Le nozze di Figaro with the Intermezzo Opera Festival in Brugge, Belgium; Balthazar (Amahl and the Night Visitors) with Chelsea Opera; Enrico VIII (Anna Bolena) with the dell’Arte Opera Ensemble; and Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte) and Sparafucile (Rigoletto) with New York Lyric Opera Theatre. For the 2010/11 season, Anchel joins LA Opera’s Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program, where he sings the roles of Count Ceprano (Rigoletto) and 4th Noble (Lohengrin), both under the baton of James Conlon. This spring, he will be making his debut with Chorale Bel Canto, singing the bass solo in his first Verdi Requiem.

Anchel’s roles for the 2008/09 season included Mr. Peachum in Dona D. Vaughn’s production of The Beggar’s Opera, and Somnus in Ken Merrill’s Production of Semele, both at Manhattan School of Music, First Soldier in Salome with the Opera Theatre of St. Louis, for which he was called “big-voiced” by the Post-Dispatch and a “standout” by Opera News. This past summer, Matthew sang the role of Famigliare (Maria di Rohan) and covered the role of Oroveso (Norma) with the Caramoor Music Festival.

Anchel won Third Place in the Palm Beach Opera Competition. He is a recipient of an Encouragement Award from Opera Index and the George London Foundation, and is a New England Region Finalist and a Western Regional Finalist in the Met Competition.