Malcolm MacKenzie, bass
With a voice described as having a “rich vocal range full of inviting nuance,” Malcolm MacKenzie has firmly established himself as a strong presence in the dramatic baritone repertoire. Opera News recently praised him as a “confident, commanding Count di Luna…of robust tone, ardent address, arching phrases and genuine baritonal squillo.” Mr. MacKenzie has been heard at leading opera houses throughout the U.S. and Europe, appearing at the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Paris Opera (Bastille), Finland’s Savonlinna Festival, Washington National Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, San Diego Opera, Arizona Opera, Fort Worth Opera, and Pittsburgh Opera, in roles including Simon Boccanegra, Iago, Tonio, Baron Scarpia, Don Giovanni, Count di Luna, Renato, Jack Rance, Marcello, Germont, and Count Almaviva.
Most recently, Malcolm returned to the Metropolitan Opera stage to sing the role of Stubb in their highly acclaimed production of Moby Dick, and he sang Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with both Austin Opera and Opera San Antonio. Additional recent engagements include his performance of Mark Torrence in The Shining with Atlanta Opera, Germont in La Traviata with both Eugene Opera and Knoxville Opera, Uncle John in Ricky Ian Gordon and Michael Korie’s The Grapes of Wrath with MasterVoices for his Carnegie Hall début, and a cover of Owen/Johnson in San Francisco Opera’s production of Omar. In the upcoming 2025-26 season, he returns to the Metropolitan Opera for their production of Innocence, sings Pandolfe in Cendrillon with North Carolina Opera, and will appear with Austin Opera for their 40th Anniversary Gala concert celebration.
Mr. MacKenzie recently appeared as Alfio in Opera Colorado’s Cavalleria rusticana, joined Quad City Symphony for their Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, reprised his performance of Mark Torrance in The Shiningwith Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and returned to The Metropolitan Opera to cover Rodrigue in the premiere of their five-act Don Carlos, which he also covered the previous season. Mr. MacKenzie’s 2021-2022 season featured him in the title role of Gianni Schicchiat Piedmont Opera, a reprise of his much-lauded Germont in La Traviata at Toledo Opera, and the dual roles of Master Johnson and Master Owen in Omarat Spoleto Festival.
Upcoming Performances
DeAndre Simmons, bass
Called a "class act" by the Los Angeles Times, American bass DeAndre Simmons is consistently recognized for his velvety voice, incisive musicianship, and captivating stage presence. He has appeared on musical theater, operatic, symphonic, and recital stages in all 50 states and across four continents. Career highlights include performing Mozart's Requiem in the presence of Pope John Paul II, being one of only 10 musicians invited to participate in a concert for Nelson Mandela, and singing for seven US Presidents — from Richard Nixon to Barack Obama.
Simmons is frequently immersed in the operas of Handel, Mozart, Puccini, Rossini, and Verdi. Career engagements include performances with Opera Philadelphia, San Diego Opera, Opera Panama, and Pacific Opera Victoria, and the premieres of several new works — including the West Coast premiere of William Bolcom's A Wedding, the Canadian premiere of Marc Blitzstein's Regina, and the East Coast premiere of Richard Danielpour and Toni Morrison's Margaret Garner. He also sang the role of Detective Watts in the workshop of Stephen Schwartz's Séance on a Wet Afternoon. On the orchestral stage, Simmons has performed with major ensembles across the US, UK, and Europe, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, LA Phil, Kansas City Symphony, London Philharmonic Orchestra, and Italy's RAI National Symphony Orchestra.
Simmons is a veteran of musical theater, having recently performed as Caiaphas in Jesus Christ Superstar, Kerchak in Tarzan, Boatman in Sunday in the Park with George, and Ken in Ain't Misbehavin'. Additional credits include Steven in She Loves Me, the Wolf in Into the Woods, Curtis in Dreamgirls, the voice of Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors, and Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha. He frequently performs music from the Great American Songbook in recital, concert, and cabaret settings — including his cabaret tribute to Stephen Sondheim, Just Me and Stephen: The Songs of Stephen Sondheim, which he toured across the US.
Upcoming engagements in 2024 include Montrellous in Lynn Nottage's Clyde's with Moxie Theatre, Bonze in Puccini's Madama Butterfly with San Diego Opera, the West Coast premiere of Zach Redler's The Falling and the Rising with Bodhi Tree Concerts, and a slate of solo recitals.
An alumnus of the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts and the Old Globe Theatre Intensive, Simmons holds degrees from the University of the Arts, Manhattan School of Music, and the Curtis Institute of Music. He studied voice with Fred Carama, Barbara Cook, and James Morris, acting with Uta Hagen, and the Fosse catalog with Ann Reinking and Jacques D'Ambroise.
Upcoming Performances
Matt Boehler, bass
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.
Matt’s calendar over the past several years has included engagements at some of classical music’s most prestigious venues. He has sung at The Metropolitan Opera in both Iolanta and The Nose, Théâtre Royal de La Monnaie in Daphne, Canadian Opera Company in The Magic Flute, and Santa Fe Opera in the world premiere of The Lord of Cries (Corigliano/Adamo).
During the 2023-2024 season, the bass will sing Frére Laurent in Toledo Opera’s production of Roméo et Juliette, as well as Gounod’s St. Cecilia Mass in La Crosse, Wisconsin. 2022-2023 saw Boehler’s role debut as Figaro in Madison Opera’s Le nozze di Figaro and returns to Madison Symphony for Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra for Bernstein’s Mass and Des Moines Metro Opera for The Love for Three Oranges and The Falling and the Rising (Redler/Dye). He also reprised the role of Van Helsing for the studio recording of The Lord of Cries with the GRAMMY-winning Boston Modern Orchestra Project. During the 2021-2022 season, Matt made his Florida Grand Opera debut in Rigoletto, debuted with Austin Opera in Fidelio, and returned to Des Moines Metro Opera for A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
A frequent collaborator in contemporary opera, Matt 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.
Recent seasons have displayed Matt’s versatility in a great array of repertoire, from Osmin in The Abduction from the Seraglio with Lyric Opera of Kansas City to Il Cieco in Iris with Bard Summerscape and Rocco in Fidelio with Madison Opera. He has been met with acclaim as Méphistophélès with Michigan Opera Theater (now Detroit Opera) and as Osmin with Des Moines Metro Opera, as well as the Hotel Manager in Powder Her Face with New York City Opera and Festival Opéra de Quèbec. He made his role debut as Baron Ochs in Der Rosenkavalier with Victory Hall Opera, where he is an ensemble member as both singer and composer. While an ensemble member at Theater St. Gallen in Switzerland, Matt 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.
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, Matt 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.
Website: https://www.mattboehler.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mattboehlerishere/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/in.sta.matt/
Upcoming Performances