CAST in order of vocal appearance
ANGEL BLUE SOPRANO( AIDA)
Angel Blue has emerged in recent seasons as one of the most influential sopranos before the public today. The two-time GRAMMY Award winner, 2020 Beverly Sills Award recipient, and the 2022 Richard Tucker Award winner is celebrated worldwide for her honeyed soprano and affecting deliveries of many of the most beloved roles in the operatic repertory, such as Violetta in Verdi’ s La Traviata, Bess in Gershwin’ s Porgy and Bess, Mimí in Puccini’ s La Bohème, and Destiny / Loneliness / Greta in Terrence Blanchard’ s Fire Shut Up in My Bones.
The 2024-25 season is one of Ms. Blue’ s most impressive to date, with a staggering itinerary of operatic title roles and concert programs on acclaimed stages worldwide. Beginning in London with the hugely popular Last Night of the Proms, Ms. Blue returns to her home stage at the Metropolitan Opera, where she spends a major portion of her season. In the fall, she plays Margarita Xirgu in Osvaldo Golijov’ s first opera, Ainadamar, and in two separate stints over the winter and spring, she makes her long anticipated debut as Aida conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Maestro Nézet-Séguin also plays a vital role in Ms. Blue’ s concert schedule, when she joins the conductor and the Rotterdam Philharmonic on tour in the Netherlands, Germany, and France. The soprano also makes a company debut as Mimì in the Bayerische Staatsoper’ s production of La Bohème. She appears twice at Carnegie Hall, first in recital with the legendary pianist Lang Lang, and again with the Met Opera Orchestra and Maestro Nézet-Séguin. Concert engagements include a solo recital at the Los Angeles Opera, and Aida in concert at the Baltimore Symphony conducted by Jonathon Heyward.
Angel Blue has performed in over 40 countries including Hungary, Kazakhstan, India, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, South Korea, China, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Brazil, and Mexico. She was raised in California and completed her musical studies at UCLA. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and son.
MATTHEW ANCHEL BASS( THE KING)
Bass Matthew Anchel, praised by The Wall Street Journal as“ a voice to watch,” has performed with many of the world’ s leading opera houses and orchestras. In recent seasons, he has appeared with the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Arizona Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Bard Summerscape, and Glyndebourne Festival. Highlights include performances and covers in Cinderella, Tosca, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Don Carlos, Fedora, and Dialogues des Carmélites at the Met; Don Carlos at Lyric Opera of Chicago; and Die Zauberflöte at Arizona Opera. He also debuted with Stadttheater Giessen and performed at Oper Stuttgart in multiple productions across two seasons.
He has collaborated with On Site Opera, Opera San Jose, and Spoleto Festival USA, and appeared in concert at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and with the American Symphony Orchestra. Other recent engagements include Mozart’ s Requiem with Stiftsmusik Stuttgart and two oratorios by Georgia Shreve at Lincoln Center.
Earlier credits include Oper Leipzig, Los Angeles Opera, and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, among others, with performances in both classic and contemporary repertoire across the U. S. and Europe.
Mr. Anchel was a Grand Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and has received accolades from Palm Beach Opera, Opera Index, and the George London Foundation. A New York City native, he holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the Manhattan School of Music.
16