Biography
Having the distinction of making debuts at three of the four theaters at New York's Lincoln Center, Matt Morgan has established himself as a tenor to watch. His New York debut came as Don Gomez in Weber's Die drei Pintos with Leon Botstein and the American Symphony Orchestra. The very same season, his New York City Opera debut occurred in the world premiere of Charles Wuorinen's Haroun and the Sea of Stories. Following these successes, Mr. Morgan debuted with the National Chorale at Avery Fisher Hall as the tenor soloist in Handel's Messiah.
Upcoming engagements include a return to the Florentine Opera to create the role of Charles Drouet in the world premiere and commercial recording of Sister Carrie by the grammy award winning Robert Aldridge and Herschel Garfein. Highlights for the 2015-2016 season include a return to the Florentine Opera for his first Goro in Madama Butterfly, a return to the University of Florida Opera Theatre for Rodolfo in La Boheme, Rodolfo in La Boheme for his debut with the Ocala Symphony, the tenor soloist in Carmina Burana with Dance Alive USA, a concert of La Boheme and La Traviata Highlights with First Coast Opera. The 2014-2015 season saw his company and role debut with the Florentine Opera as Eddie Fislinger in Elmer Gantry, Handel's Messiah with the Boise Philharmonic, and a return to the Allegheny Valley Concert Association for concerts of Italian and Musical Theatre favorites.
In the 2013-2014 season, Mr. Morgan appeared with the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance singing the West Side Story Suite and selections from Candide, performed Britten's Les Illuminations with the Sarasota Ballet and the Sir Frederick Ashton Festival, returned to the Jacksonville Symphony for Le nozze di Figaro, and created the role of Marco Polo in Stella Sung's The Red Silk Thread. Upcoming performances include his company and role debut with the Florentine Opera as Eddie Fislinger in Elmer Gantry and a return tothe Allegheny Valley Concert Association to headline a concert of Italian and Musical Theatre favorites.
In addition to Mr. Morgan's busy performing schedule he continues to expand his role as an educator and vocal director. He currently holds the title of visiting assistant professor of musical theatre voice at the University of Florida, vocal director for Players by the Sea, and Vice President of North Florida NATS. Additionally he has served as the head of musical theatre at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts and on the voice faculty of Jacksonville University. He has served as the vocal director for countless musicals as well as lead clinician for musical theatre programs and intensives across the country.
In the 2012-2013 season, Mr. Morgan returned to the Jacksonville Symphony as Rodrigo in Otello, and joined Amarillo Opera for the title role in Candide and the Boise Philharmonic Orchestra for Messiah.
The 2011-2012 season brought Handel’s Messiah with the Dayton Philharmonic and Jacksonville Symphony, Almaviva in Connecticut Opera Theater’s Il barbiere di Siviglia, and concert appearances with the New Jersey Symphony and at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City. Other recent engagements include the title role of Faust with Opera Idaho, Hamlet in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead with AOP and the Mark Morris Dance Company, Tapioca in L’etoile with New York City Opera, Ruggero in La rondine and Nadir in Les pêcheurs de perles with the Opera Company of Middlebury, Frederick in The Pirates of Penzance with Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and Sacramento Opera, Nanki-Poo in The Mikado with Syracuse Opera, Ferrando in Così fan tutte with Opera Colorado, Der Soldat in Viktor Ullmann's Der Kaiser von Atlantis with the Greenwich Music Festival, and Laurie in Little Women and Camille in The Merry Widow with Dayton Opera. He also appeared recently with Fort Worth Opera as Curly opposite Anthony Dean Griffey in Of Mice and Men and as Tony in West Side Story with New Orleans Opera. Additionally, he created the role of Pan in the world premiere and recording of The Judgment of Minds with American Opera Projects.
Mr. Morgan performed at New York City Opera for three consecutive seasons to great audience and critical acclaim in a variety of repertoire ranging from Rameau's Platee to works of the 20th century such as The Mines of Sulphur and The Little Prince. In their new production of The Pirates of Penzance, he was hailed as an “endearing and loveable” Frederick “with the right hero looks and a wonderful tenor voice”. Among his many appearances at Lincoln Center, his other New York successes include his portrayal of Britten’s anti-hero in Gotham Chamber Opera’s wildly successful production of Albert Herring.
His busy concert schedule has taken Mr. Morgan to sing with some of the country's leading symphony orchestras and concert organizations including the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the American Symphony Orchestra, the National Chorale, and the Bard Music Festival. Mr. Morgan tours North America regularly, most recently playing to crowds of tens of thousands at the two largest Italian festivals in North America- (Milwaukee Festa Italiana and the Upper Ohio Valley Italian Festival). As a recording artist, his DVD’s and CD’s are distributed internationally. He is an alumnus of the Pittsburgh Opera Center, National Opera Company, and Louisiana State University.