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The American bass-baritone, Michael Sumuel, obtained his Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Music Performance from Columbus State University (August 2003-May 2007); and his Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Rice University (2007-2009). In his 1st Year he sang Mago Cristiano in G.F. Handel's Rinaldo and Dulcamara in L'elisir d'amore; in his 2nd Year: Gianni Schicchi in Gianni Schicchi and Leporello i n W.A. Mozart's Don Giovanni. He is an alumnus of the Houston Grand Opera Studio (August 2009-May 2011), Merola Opera Program at San Francisco Opera (June-August 2009) and the Filene Young Artist program at Wolf Trap Opera (2010-2011). His competition accolades include being awarded a Richard Tucker Career Grant, Metropolitan Opera National Council audition Grand Finalist and a winner of the Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition.
Operatic highlights include the Metropolitan Opera (Reginald in X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X and Belcore in L’Elisir d’Amore), San Francisco Opera (Figaro in W.A. Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro; Escamillo in Georges Bizet's Carmen; Elviro in Xerxes), Lyric Opera of Chicago (Masetto in W.A. Mozart's Don Giovanni), Houston Grand Opera (Belcore, Sharpless, Marcello, Papageno in W.A. Mozart's Die Zauberflöte and Frank in Die Fledermaus), Glyndebourne Festival Opera (Sharpless, Junius in Benjamin Britten's The Rape of Lucretia, Theseus in B. Britten's A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Norwegian National Opera (Alidoro in La cenerentola and Escamillo), Seattle Opera (Figaro; Leporello in W.A. Mozart's Don Giovanni), Detroit Opera (Forester in The Cunning Little Vixen and Elviro), Santa Fe Opera (Escamillo), and LA Opera (Jesus in J.S. Bach's Matthäus-Passion BWV 244).
In concert, previous work has included: George Frideric Handel's Messiah with San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony Orchestra, the United States Naval Academy, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Phoenix Symphony and University Musical Society in Ann Arbor, W.A. Mozart's Mass in C Minor with Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra (March-April 2022), Cleveland Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke's, and Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, L.v. Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and Seattle Symphony Orchestra, and W.A. Mozart's Requiem with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Music of the Baroque, Orchestra of St. Luke's and North Carolina Symphony Orchestra. Other repertoire includes L.v. Beethoven's Missa Solemnis (Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Grant Park Music Festival), J.S. Bach's Weihnachts-Oratorium BWV 248 (Les Violons du Roy), Christus and bass solos in J.S. Bach's Johannes-Passion BWV 245 (Seattle Symphony Orchestra), Gabriel Fauré's Requiem (National Symphony Orchestra), Haydn’s Theresienmesse (Grant Park Music Festival), J.S. Bach's Easter Oratorio BWV 249 (Music of the Baroque, April 2022), Puccini’s Messa di Gloria (San Diego Symphony), the bass solos J.S. Bach's Johannes-Passion BWV 245 (Music of the Baroque), Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass (Pacific Chorale), the bass solos in J.S. Bach's Matthäus-Passion BWV 244 as well as the Magnificat in D major BWV 243 (Music of the Baroque, Mercury Houston (December 2018)) and finally, J.S. Bach's Cantatas BWV 61 and BWV 140 (Handel & Haydn Society, October 2022).
In the 2024-2025 season, Michael Sumuel returned to the Metropolitan Opera and debuted with Opera Australia in Sydney to sing the title role in W.A. Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, debuted Porgy in Porgy and Bess with Washington National Opera, and Sharpless in Madama Butterfly with the Canadian Opera Company and LA Opera. An accomplished and in demand concert artist, he made his debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, performing W.A. Mozart's Coronation Mass, performed Gabriel Fauré's Requiem with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, J.S. Bach's Weihnachts-Oratorium BWV 248 with Music of the Baroque and Dame Jane Glover, W.A. Mozart's Requiem with the Camerata Academica Salzburg, again with Dame Jane Glover, L.v. Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with North Carolina Symphony Orchestra, and G.F. Handel's Messiah with Jonathan Cohen and the Houston Symphony Orchestra.
In the 2025-2026 season, Michael Sumuel lauded as having “vocals that are smooth and ingratiating” (Daily Camera) will return to the Metropolitan Opera as Papageno in Julie Taymor’s The Magic Flute, sing Porgy in Porgy and Bess at Houston Grand Opera, Leporello in W.A. Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Bayerische Staatsoper, Achilla in G.F. Handel's Giulio Cesare at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, as well as Alberich, a role debut in Wagner’s complete Der Ring des Nibelungen, also at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Concert highlights include Johannes Brahms' Requiem with the San Diego Symphony, and L.v. Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 at St. John the Divine in New York City for New Year’s Eve.
Frequent conductor collaborators include Dame Jane Glover, Jonathan Cohen, Bernard Labadie, James Conlon, Zubin Mehta, Patrick Summers, Jaap van Zweden, Marc Minkowski and more. He currently resides in San Francisco with his wife and son. |
