Rodell Rosel

Grammy-nominated Filipino tenor Rodell Aure Rosel comes to us for tonight’s concert between his engagement with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, where he has been featured in the role of Valzacchi in Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier, and his upcoming engagement with the Houston Grand Opera, where he will perform the major role of Mime in Wagner’s Siegfried.

Mr. Rosel’s 2013-2014 season included a return to Los Angeles Opera singing Bardolfo in Falstaff and Monostatos in Die Zauberflöte, and a role debut of Mime in Das Rheingold with Houston Grand Opera (a role which he will reprise soon in Siegfried). He made his Los Angeles Opera debut as Goro in Madama Butterfly under Grant Gershon. He later returned to sing Spoletta in Tosca under the baton of Plácido Domingo.

Mr. Rosel was a Grand Prize Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, representing the Western Region. He made a successful Metropolitan Opera debut as Valzacchi in Der Rosenkavalier, and later as Nathanaël in Offenbach’s Les contes d’Hoffmann, both broadcast live in HD in theaters nationwide, conducted by Edo de Waart and James Levine, respectively.

Under Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Ryan Opera Center, he made his mainstage debut as Remendado in Carmen and since then has appeared on their stage as featured roles in Die Zauberflöte, Les contes d’Hoffmann, Lulu, Falstaff, Die Fledermaus, Turandot, Il trovatore, Salome, to name a few. In Houston Grand Opera, he debuted with Squeak in Billy Budd, and later returned to sing Goro in Madama Butterfly and Tanzmeister in Ariadne auf Naxos. He originated the role of Ong Chi Seng in the world premiere of Paul Moravec’s The Letter at Santa Fe Opera, conducted by Patrick Summers, with costume designs by renowned fashion designer Tom Ford.

Appearances in various regional companies nationwide have included Pittsburgh Opera (Madama Butterfly), Wolf Trap Opera Company (Grammy-nominated Volpone, Die Zauberflöte, Candide, Ariadne auf Naxos, Bastianello, Lucrezia), Tulsa Opera (Madama Butterfly), Cleveland Orchestra (Salome), Florentine Opera (Magic Flute, Susannah, Albert Herring [title role]), as well as Ravinia Festival where he sang in three consecutive summers under James Conlon (Le nozze di Figaro, Tosca, Die Zauberflöte, Idomeneo). He returns to Ravinia this summer singing Basilio in Le nozze di Figaro.

In June 2014, Mr. Rosel debuted at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Concert Hall, alongside Tony-award winning singer Lea Salonga, at a concert called “After the Storm,” benefiting the victims of the Philippines affected by the Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan. Other participants included Lou Diamond Phillips, Darren Criss (Glee) , Charice, Apl de Ap (Black Eyed Peas) and Christina Rocas (Joffrey Ballet), to name a few.

The Manila native studied at Santa Monica College, and the University of California in Los Angeles, where he sang the title role in Britten’s Albert Herring and leading roles in Mozart, Rossini and Ravel, also appearing as tenor soloist in The Creation, Messiah and the Mozart Requiem with Donald Neuen.

In addition to his Grand Prize award from the Metropolitan Opera National Council, Mr. Rosel has received top awards from the Palm Beach Opera Vocal Competition and the Lotte Lenya Vocal Competition, including the People’s Choice and President’s Award from the Jose Iturbi International Music Competition. He is the recipient of scholarships from, among others, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, and the Opera Buffs Career Achievement Award.

More info at: http://www.rodellrosel.com