Matthew Peña, originally from Modesto, California, has been based in Berlin, Germany for over a decade, regularly performing at Europe’s premiere opera houses.
In 2022, he joined the ensemble of the Staatstheater Braunschweig where he regularly appears in diverse repertoire, from Mime in Das Rheingold, to Howard Boucher in Dead Man Walking, Baron Kronthal in Der Wildschütz, or Pat in Dog Days by David T. Little.
Last season, he returned to the Staatsoper Unter den Linden as the 3rd Jew in Salome, and debuted at Theater Bonn as Jack/Tobby Higgins in Weill’s Aufstieg und Fall der stadt Mahogonny and the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe as Un Messaggero in Aida. He also appeared at Landestheater Neustrelitz as Prinz Reinhold in Humperdinck’s Dornröschen and the Landestheater Schlesweig-Holstein as Mitch in A Streetcar Named Desire.
Notable appearances in recent seasons include Fenton in Falstaff at Theater Magdeburg, Trin in La Fanciulla del West at Oper Leipzig, and several productions at the Deutsche Oper Berlin, including reprising the roles of Snout in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and 2nd Edler in Lohengrin, both conducted by Donald Runnicles.
Known also for his facility with modern works, in 2021 he created the 1st Fisherman in the world premiere of Sleepless by Peter Eötvös at the Staatoper Unter den Linden, and in 2022, took over the role of the Jeweler as well for the production at the Grand Théâtre de Genève. He’s also recently appeared as Heurtebise in Orphée by Philip Glass at the Anhaltisches Theater Dessau, and as the Visitor in Glass’s In the Penal Colony at Theater Kiel. Also at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, he debuted as Der Student Arkenholz in Reimann’s Die Gespenstersonate, the revised world premiere of Jörg Widmann’s Babylon, and the German premiere of Sciarrino’s Ti Vedeo, Ti Sento, Mi Perdo, directed by Jürgen Flimm and conducted by Maxime Pascal.
Other notable debuts include Der Bucklige in Die Frau Ohne Schatten at the Bayerische Staatsoper, conducted by Kirill Petrenko, and Edmondo in Manon Lescaut at both the Royal Opera House Muscat in Oman, and the Palau de les Arts Renia Sofia in Valencia.
He is a proud graduate of Virginia Opera’s Emerging Artist Program, covering and taking part in productions of L’Elisir d’Amore in 2008 and Il Barbiere di Siviglia in 2009.