The Boston Musical Intelligencer recently credited bass-baritone Matthew Burns with “a rare combination of comic timing, musical ability and stellar acting.” Upcoming engagements in the 2021-2022 season include Dr. Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Pensacola Opera, Don Magnifico in La Cenerentola with Annapolis Opera, Sacristan in Tosca with Seattle Opera, and covering roles in Rigoletto and Die Zauberflöte at the Metropolitan Opera. During the COVIDaffected 2019-2020 season, he was slated to join the Metropolitan Opera roster for Die Zauberflöte, return to Michigan Opera Theatre as Leporello in Don Giovanni and Opera Omaha as Lorenzo in I Capuletti e i Montecchi, and join Festival Napa Valley for Goodbye Mr. Chips. His 2018-2019 season included Suplice in La fille du regiment with Opera Carolina, Dulcamara in L’elisir d’amore with Virginia Opera, Dr. Bartolo in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Opera Roanoke, and Dansker in Billy Budd with Central City Opera. A master-interpreter of comedic roles, Mr. Burns is highly sought after as Leporello in Don Giovanni, which he has performed with Utah Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, Opera Memphis, Opera Cleveland, and Opera Omaha. He is also well-known for his performances of Doctor Bartolo (Opera Roanoke, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Virginia Opera, Opera Omaha, Orlando Philharmonic) and Don Basilio (Dayton Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Sarasota Opera), both in Il barbiere di Siviglia, and Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro (Virginia Opera, Opera Grand Rapids). Frequently reengaged by companies around the country, Mr. Burns is often seen with Opera Theatre of St. Louis (Rambaldo in La rondine, Otec in Smetana’s The Kiss, Pish-Tush in The Mikado, Lord Gualtiero Valton in I puritani, and Titta in Martín y Soler’s Una cosa rara), Palm Beach Opera (Alidoro in La Cenerentola, Angelotti in Tosca), Virginia Opera (Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Poet in Glass’ Orphée and Pallante in Agrippina), Utah Opera (George in Of Mice and Men, Don Alonso in Così fan tutte, and Leporello in Don Giovanni), and Opera Southwest (Don Geronio in Il turco in Italia, the title role in Gianni Schicchi, and Taddeo in L’italiana in Algeri). Other opera roles include Dr. Primus in Usher House and Sir Simon the ghost in The Canterville Ghost (Los Angeles Opera; Center for Contemporary Opera), Dr. Bartolo in Le nozze di Figaro (Michigan Opera Theatre), Raimondo in Lucia di Lammermoor (Dayton Opera), Sparafucile in Rigoletto (Crested Butte Music Festival), Kuno in Der Freischütz (Macau International Music Festival), Falstaff in The Merry Wives of Windsor (Fargo Moorehead Opera), Don Giovanni (Arizona Opera), Papageno in Die Zauberflöte (Opera Coeur d’Alene), Collatinus in The Rape of Lucretia (Toledo Opera), Pirate King in The Pirates of Penzance (Kentucky Opera), as well as roles in La bohème: Colline with Boston Lyric Opera and Opera Birmingham and Schaunard with New Orleans Opera. Mr. Burns made his début with New York City Opera as Masetto in Don Giovanni, and subsequently returned to the company as Agrippa in Antony and Cleopatra, Colline in La bohème, Zuniga in Carmen, Angelotti in Tosca, and Junius in The Rape of Lucretia. In addition, as a member of the Juilliard Opera Center he performed Blitch in Floyd’s Susannah and created the villainous role of William de Champeaux in Stephen Paulus’ Heloise and Abelard. A sought after concert artist, Burns’ orchestral engagements include his Carnegie Hall début singing Händel’s Messiah, which he has performed across the country, Mozart’s Coronation Mass with the Atlanta Symphony, Stravinsky’s Pulcinella with the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Mobile Symphony, Albany Symphony Orchestra, and the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast with the New Choral Society, Grandpa Moss in The Tender Land with the Charleston Symphony, Bach’s B Minor Mass with the Pensacola Choral Society, Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Haydn’s Missa in Angustiis with New York’s New Choral Society, and Rossini’s Stabat Mater with the Dayton Philharmonic. Mr. Burns is a two-time recipient of the Richard F. Gold Career Grant for Singers. He is featured on the commercial recordings of Die Gezeichneten from Los Angeles Opera, the American Symphony Orchestra’s recording of Haggadah shel pessach, and Florentine Opera’s live recording of Carlisle Floyd’s Wuthering Heights.