Matthew Li

Hailing from Ottawa, Canada, bass Matthew Li is currently a second-year resident artist at the Atelier Lyrique at Opéra de Montréal.

The unique beauty and transcendent nature of classical music inspire him to convey thoughtful perspectives and discoveries in each of his performances. Favourite operatic highlights include Passenger in Le Flambeau de la nuit, Colline in La Bohème, Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte, Masetto and Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni, Simone in Gianni Schicchi, and Henry Davis in Street Scene.

Matthew Li is known as a sensitive and sincere performer. His fascination with human nature and self-discovery in poetry combined with music has helped him explore and validate his own emotions and life experiences. He is particularly fond of the great German lieder cycles such as Schubert’s Winterreise and Schumann’s Dichterliebe, and the Russian Romances of Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff. Li looks forward to continuing to share the beauty of these art songs through recitals and recordings throughout his career. He has given successful recital performances with the Société d’art vocal de Montréal, and as a voice fellow at the Toronto Summer Music Festival.

An ardent choral singer, Li has also appeared as a soloist and chorister with some of the finest ensembles in Canada, including Tafelmusik Chamber Choir, Elora Singers, and The Toronto Consort. Concert highlights include the role of Jesus in Schütz’s Johannes-Passion and the bass solos in Dvořák’s Stabat Mater, Mozart’s Requiem, Steffani’s Stabat Mater, Haydn’s Missa in Angustiis, Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, and Fauré’s Requiem.

In the 2022–2023 season, Li will be delighted to play the lead character role of Xon Pon in Alice Ho’s new opera Chinatown with City Opera Vancouver and will also be making his mainstage debut at the Opéra de Montréal as Il Commissario Imperiale in Madama Butterfly.

Member of the Atelier lyrique de l'Opéra de Montréal, Matthew Li is generously sponsored by the Andrea Alacchi Family.