Biography
Matthew Cerillo is an Italian-American tenor from Freehold, NJ. He made his Lincoln Center solo debut at the age of 24 and is now one of opera’s most sought-after young tenors. Most recently, you might have seen him performing at New York Fashion Week during the international launch of Bloomingdale’s newest campaign, From Italy, With Love. This fall, Matthew will join Palm Beach Opera as a Bailey Apprentice Artist for the 2024–2025 season, where he will perform the role of Giuseppe, cover Gastone, and study Alfredo in La traviata. He will also cover the role of Benvolio in Roméo et Juliette.
This summer, Matthew was a Lehrer Fellow at the renowned Music Academy of the West, where he co-starred alongside one of his tenor heroes, Met Opera’s Lawrence Brownlee, in their recital Uprising/Rising Up. During his residency, he performed and covered the role of Don José in Carmen, and also portrayed Le Petit Vieillard in Mary Birnbaum’s production of L'Enfant et les Sortilèges.
In April, Matthew brought his solo cabaret show, An Evening with Matthew Cerillo, to the iconic NYC venue Don’t Tell Mama. At the beginning of 2024, he was a Studio Artist at St. Petersburg Opera, performing the role of Pong in Turandot. In 2023, Matthew made his European debut as Don José with Teatro Grattacielo and the Athens Philharmonia.
Matthew has also been a Resident Artist at Portland Opera, performing the role of El Remendado in opera superstar Denyce Graves’s production of Carmen, as well as covering Don José. He has been a finalist in the Giulio Gari Foundation International Vocal Competition and placed 3rd in the National Opera Association’s Carolyn Bailey Vocal Competition.
Matthew performed as a lead character in the workshop of The Listeners, the newest opera by Missy Mazzoli, working in close collaboration with the composer. He has also been a featured guest in recital with one of the Met Opera’s shining sopranos, Angel Blue.
Matthew received his Master’s in Music (Summa Cum Laude) in 2022 from The Mannes School of Music and graduated from Hofstra University in 2020 with a B.S. in Voice (Honors).
