MATHEUS FRANÇA
bass
RECENT AND UPCOMING ENGAGEMENTS
- Sarastro in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, at New National Theatre Tokyo and Stadttheater Bern;
- Zaccaria in Verdi's Nabucco, at the Theatro Municipal de São Paulo;
- Le Grand Inquisiteur in Verdi's Don Carlos (French version), Rychtar in Janáček's Jenufa, Hunding in Wagner's Die Walküre, King René in Tchaikovsky's Iolanta, Gessler in Rossini's Guillaume Tell and Arkel in Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande, at the Stadttheater Bern;
- Padre Guardiano in Verdi's La Forza del Destino and Il Grande Inquisitore in Verdi's Don Carlo, at the Oper in Klosterneuburg;
- Fafner in Wagner's Das Rheingold, at Stadttheater Bern and Stadttheater Klagenfurt;
- Porgy in Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra.
BIOGRAPHY
Brazilian bass Matheus França received his musical education at the University of Brasília, standing out by completing his bachelor’s degree in Orchestral and Choral Conducting with excellence. During this period, he refined his studies in Classical Singing under the guidance of Irene Bentley.
França’s first foray into the opera world took place at the university, participating in productions such as La Serva Padrona by Pergolesi and Il Barbiere di Siviglia by Rossini. This experience also inspired his approach to concert-format titles, including Mozart’s Vesperae Solennes, Beethoven’s Choral Fantasia and Mozart’s Requiem, among others. Throughout this period, he received encouragement and guidance from renowned conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Stojan Kuret, Dietmar Wiedemann, Roberto Minczuk and others.
From 2014 to 2019, he joined the lyric choir of the Teatro Municipal de São Paulo, where he also got the opportunity to beginning his solo career. Under the guidance of prominent figures in the global opera scene, such as Kurt Rydl, Luiz-Ottavio Faria and Marianne Cornetti, he experienced remarkable growth in the solo landscape, debuting as Zaccaria in Verdi’s Nabucco and, later, as Nourabad in Bizet’s Les Pêcheurs de Perles and Basilio in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia, at the Brazilian opera house. Since then, he has succeeded in expanding his international career.
Between 2021 and 2024, França was a member of the ensemble of Stadttheater Bern, where he sang roles such as Le Grand Inquisiteur in Verdi’s Don Carlos (French version), Fafner in Wagner’s Das Rheingold, La Voce in Mozart’s Idomeneo, Arkel in Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande, Capellio in Bellini’s I Capuleti e I Montecchi, Sarastro in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Gessler in Rossini’s Guillaume Tell, Hunding in Wagner’s Die Walküre, King René in Tchaikovsky's Iolanta and Rychtar in Janacek’s Jenufa.
Matheus França debuted in Austria, in 2021, at the Festival Oper in Klosterneuburg, singing the role of Padre Guardiano in Verdi’s La Forza del Destino.
In the season 2023-24, he came back to Klosterneuburg, to sing the iconic bass role of Il Grande Inquisitore in Verdi’s Don Carlo.
Among his next commitments, Matheus will sing Sarastro at the New National Theatre Tokyo, Zaccaria at the Teatro Municipal de São Paulo, Fafner at the Stadttheater Klagenfurt and Porgy in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra