“
He was everything we wanted him to be: Matthew Swensen is an ardent and generous tenor - he was simply phenomenal.”
BBC WORLD NEWS
In leading roles that range from Tamino to Tom Rakewell, Ferrando, Fenton and Nemorino, Matthew Swensen's compelling performances have taken him to Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Carnegie Hall, Oper Frankfurt, State Opera of Prague, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Theater Basel, The Rheingau Festival and more.
The 2024/25 Season begins in the summer with Wagner’s Der Fliegende Höllander as the Steersman in his debut at the Teatro Regio di Torino and again with Jaap Van Zweden and the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam later in September. He sings several performances of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Allentown Symphony, the Rochester Philharmonic and on tour throughout Italy and Germany. He makes his debut with the Deutscher Symphoniker in Bruckner's Te Deum and again in Bach's B Minor Mass in Munich.
He makes his role debut as Nemorino in New Orleans Opera's Elisir D'Amore, and reprises the role of Count Almaviva in Rossini’s Barbiere di Siviglia with Lyric Opera Kansas City. In April 2025 he will make his Canadian debut with the Montreal Symphony in a concert performance of Mozart's
Cosi fan Tutte.
NOV 4, 6, 8, 11, 13
2023
JAN 25, 27, 29, 31, FEB 2
2024
NOV 23, 24, 25 2024
JS Bach:
Christmas Oratorio
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
Ken David Masur Conductor
Matthew Swensen Tenor
DEC 12 2024
Handel:
Messiah
Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
Christopher Warren-Green Conductor
Matthew Swensen Tenor
Nicole Cabel Soprano
Matthew Rose Bass
CRITICAL
ACCLAIM & PRESS
“After a tightly conducted and briskly paced, traditionally structured overture, Matthew Swensen, as the Steersman, took the lead alongside Andreas Bauer Kanabas, who performed the role of Daland, his captain. Swensen has a beautiful, crystal-clear tenor that comes into its own in his small role. With perfect diction, he delivers a Steersman rarely heard: on the one hand, pure bel canto, but on the other hand, perfectly focused on the drama of his texts with understandable articulation."
OPERA MAGAZINE
FLYING DUTCHMAN IN AMSTERDAM
High Praise as the Evangelist in Bach's Christmas Oratorio
November 28 2024
“
Matthew Swensen, a replacement for the originally billed tenor, was quite impressive. All of his recitatives came off wonderfully, smooth in legato lines and clear and pointed elsewhere. In his solo aria “Frohe Hirten”, he showed great agility and an operatic sensibility. His voice was a great match for this music. I would have been happy to hear him sing the other tenor arias that were unperformed!
I’m glad Masur pushed to program this work and assembled fine performers to execute it. What I remember most from this concert is, once again, the striking treatment of the chorales, and tenor Matthew Swensen as a standout singer who made even recitatives glorious vocal moments.''
Shepherd Express Milwaukee
