Baritone Matthew Worth to Join SFCM Faculty

The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) today announces the appointment of baritone Matthew Worth to its voice faculty. Worth will lead a full studio at SFCM beginning in Fall 2019, joining the voice department led by chair César Ulloa. Worth's appointment comes just after the announcement of Rhoslyn Jones joining SFCM's faculty.

"We are very pleased to welcome Matthew to SFCM," says SFCM President David H. Stull. "His artistic work is inspiring, but he is perhaps the most sophisticated and capable voice teacher of his generation. We are very fortunate to have him with us."

"I am so grateful to join the esteemed voice faculty at San Francisco Conservatory of Music," says Matthew Worth. "The level of artistry and excellence displayed by the students and faculty alike is unparalleled and I am honored to be a part of SFCM's vision. I am truly looking forward to fostering student successes in the Conservatory, in our city, and beyond as engaged citizens of the world."

"I am so thrilled that baritone Matthew Worth will be joining the voice department," says César Ulloa. "His devotion and knowledge to the vocal arts and to teaching comes through clearly when he works with young singers. He is generous and articulate-a true teaching artist! He will definitely be a bright light for the San Francisco Conservatory of Music."

"This is a wonderful cause for gratitude and excitement," says Frederica von Stade. "Matt sings professionally with great passion and success, and it is clear that he loves teaching and has no less passion in his teaching than his performing. He is clear and kind and supportive and expert in his knowledge, and the faculty of the Conservatory are thrilled to welcome him."

"I am absolutely thrilled to have Matthew Worth join our voice faculty," comments Catherine Cook. "He is an accomplished pedagogue as well as a seasoned artist and will be such a welcome addition to our department and to the musical community of San Francisco. He is the rare combination of teacher/artist and I look forward to having him as a colleague and collaborator."

"Matthew Worth is a true technician," remarks Susanne Mentzer. "He will be an asset to SFCM because he has performing experience in both contemporary and traditional classical music. More importantly, he is also is a great communicator and listener and, therefore, teaches each student to their individual needs. I am thrilled he has accepted a position to teach at SFCM."

Matthew Worth is quickly becoming the baritone of choice for innovative productions and contemporary works on the operatic leading edge. Last season, he created the role of the Narrator in the world premiere of The Passion of Yeshua with the Oregon Bach Festival.

The 2018-2019 season also includes Worth's return to Boston Lyric Opera as Figaro in Rosetta Cucchi's zany production of Il barbiere di Siviglia and a workshop performance of Laura Kaminsky and Kimberly Reed's Postville, commissioned by Santa Fe Opera and San Francisco Opera.

Along with The Passion of Yeshua in the 2017-2018 season, Worth performed the title role in David T. Little and Royce Vavrek's JFK with Opéra de Montréal, Bernstein's Arias & Barcarolles with the New York Festival of Song at Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Laura Kaminsky and Mark Campbell's As One with Cincinnati Opera, and recitals at the University of Cincinnati and Austin Peay University.

Highlights of recent seasons include the title role in the world premiere of JFK with Fort Worth Opera, the world premiere of The Manchurian Candidate with Minnesota Opera, and Moby Dick at Washington National Opera. Also lauded for his work in the standard operatic repertoire, Worth's Guglielmo (Così fan tutte) was deemed "vocally impeccable...open and incisive" by Boston Classical Review. Other notable appearances include the title role in Don Giovanni, Dottore Malatesta (Don Pasquale), Mercutio (Roméo et Juliette), Valentin (Faust), Harlequin (Ariadne auf Naxos), and Tarquinius (The Rape of Lucretia). He has performed leading roles at Santa Fe Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Castleton Festival, Tanglewood Festival, Pittsburgh Opera, and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, under such luminary conductors as James Levine, Lorin Maazel, and Sir Andrew Davis.

Worth is a committed recitalist and active concert soloist. He performed Schumann's Dichterliebe and Mahler's Songs of a Wayfarer with the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, and was praised by The New York Times as "simply superb, singing with exquisite sensitivity." Worth made his Carnegie Hall debut in Brahms' Ein deutsches Requiem under James DePriest while still a student at the Juilliard Opera Center. He made his Alice Tully Hall debut with the Richmond Choral Society in Carmina Burana and has since been featured in concerts with the Atlanta Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Boston Pops Orchestra, and has performed with conductors Donald Runnicles, Robert Spano and James Conlon.

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