Young American baritone Kenneth Mattice is earning national praise for his poignant singing, handsome appearance and his naturally gripping acting ability. His voice, often described as expressive and full-toned, resonates to great theatrical effect.
Kenneth Mattice's engagements in 2011/12 include the title role in the World Premiere of Kievman's Hamlet at the SoBe Institute of the Arts in Miami, Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with Florida Opera Theater, Vero Beach Opera and First Coast Opera, Dandini in La Cenerentola with Union Avenue Opera, Phoebus in The Fairy Queen with Big Apple Baroque, and Baron Douphol in La Traviata with Lyric Opera Baltimore. He will also be reprising the role of Guglielmo in Opera Providence's production of Così fan tutte. In 2010/11, Mr. Mattice performed the role of Aeneas in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas for Macau International Music Festival, Cascada in The Merry Widow with Maestro Coppola at Opera Tampa, and he was in Bergamo, Italy to sing the role of Petruccio in Efrain Amaya's opera La Bisbetica Domata at the Festival Internazionale della Cultura.
In the 2009/10 season, Mr. Mattice’s performed the role of Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with Townsend Opera in California, Guglielmo in Così fan tutte for Shreveport Opera, Procolo in Donizetti’s Viva la Mamma at Lake George Opera, and was a featured concert soloist at Opera Providence. While engaged at Opera San José from 2006 to 2008 he sang, among other roles, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor, Sharpless in Madama Butterfly, Germont in La Traviata, and Figaro in Il Barbiere di Siviglia.
In 2006, Mr. Mattice appeared with Baltimore Opera as Schaunard in La Bohème. That same year, he sang the role of Dr. Malatesta in a semi-staged version of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale with the Newton Symphony Orchestra. In 2005, Mr. Mattice was Escamillo in Carmen at the Ravinia Festival in collaboration with Opera Theatre North.
In addition to his operatic success, Kenneth Mattice was recently a semi-finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, New England Region, and a national finalist in the Liederkranz Competition. He was also a winner in the Palm Beach Opera Competition, the Bel Canto Italian Opera Competition, the Friends of Austria Competition, 1st place winner in the Quad Cities Opera Competition, and was awarded the Chautauqua Opera Studio Artist Award.
“Come un’ape” (Dandini’s Aria) from Rossini’s La Cenerentola (2011)
Papageno’s Suicide Aria from Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (2011)
Bellini |
Massenet |
Bach - Magnificat, B Minor Mass |
Händel - Messiah |
“The Prima Donna’s husband, Procolo, sang and acted with aplomb, both as an overbearing braggart in promoting his wife and as an incompetent lead singer with breast plate and sword in the faux company’s rehearsal.”
Judith White, THE SARATOGIAN, July 2010
“Mattice, a strong and effecting baritone, showed his range with ‘Billy’s Soliloquy’ from Carousel and his work in Thais.”
Dana Oland, IDAHO STATESMAN, September 2009
“Kenneth Mattice’s Papageno is charming and animated. He has a well-grounded baritone voice. His comedic timing and physical comedy is spot-on and got unanimous laughs out of the audience.”
Lydia Mayne, SAN FRANCISCO CLASSICAL VOICE, 2008
“Papageno, decked out in feathers as the Queen's official bird catcher, was performed by Kenneth Mattice, a talented and athletic comic. He was in excellent voice and proved able to sing in any number of positions.”
Mort Levine, MILPITAS POST, 2008
“Mattice plays the part (Enrico in Lucia di Lammermoor) with his usual power, but lends our disastrous matchmaker occasional vulnerabilities - hints of softer feelings for his sister that lend him a human complexity.”
Michael J. Vaughn, THEOPERACRITIC.COM, 2007
“Baritone Kenneth Mattice was a charismatic and robust-toned Figaro. As the title character, the jack-of-all-trades who breathlessly stage-manages the opera's intricate series of ruses and disguises, Mattice roamed the stage nimbly and rattled through his famous introductory patter song, ‘Largo al factotum’ with aplomb.”
Joshua Kosman, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, 2006
