About Michael
Biography
Michael Boley is an electrifying American tenor originally from Columbus Ohio. He began his career with Opera Columbus. There he appeared in productions of La bohème, Aïda, Rigoletto, Tosca, Carmen, Don Giovanni, Die Zauberflöte, Susannah and Camelot. Of his Columbus Opera performances, the COLUMBUS DISPATCH extolled, “tenor Michael Boley sings with operatic power and resonance—a true find!”
An exponent of the romantic French, Italian, and Russian repertoire, recent performance highlights for the tenor include Hoffmann in Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Cavaradossi in Tosca, and Hermann in Pique Dame. Career highlights include twice performing at Carnegie Hall as a tenor soloist, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 tenor soloist with the Carolina Ballet, Tenor Soloist in Scriabin’s Symphony No. 1 with Helena Symphony Orchestra, Genaro in Prokofiev’s seldom performed Maddalena, and The Crucible at the National Theatre of Pécs and the Szeged National Theater in Hungary with performances telecast internationally.
Michael held a prestigious position as a Resident Artist with Opera San Jose. There he assumed principal assignments in a diverse range of productions, including Verdi's Rigoletto, Weiser's Where Angels Fear to Tread, Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, Puccini's Tosca, Bizet's Carmen, and Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire.
Michael’s rich and powerful tenor voice captured the attention of both audiences and critics alike. For example: In his portrayal of Calaf in Mississippi Opera's Turandot "...he (Michael Boley) brought the house down with his rendition of 'Nessun Dorma' in the third act.” (NORTHSIDE SUN/JACKSON MS) Reviewing his performance in Puccini’s La Fanciulla del West the CAPE COD TIMES was effusive in praise of his craft, “Outstanding among these, was tenor Michael Boley. Mr. Boley’s firm ringing tenor and suave stage demeanor augur well for a rewarding career in opera.”
In addition to the classics Michael recently excelled in several new works by influential contemporary composers such as Ian Bell (Stonewall), Peter Rothstein (All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914), and Ricky Ian Gordon (The Garden of the Finzi-Continis). All performed with New York City Opera.
Recent performances include the the Prince Guido Bardi in Zemlinsky’s Eine florentinische Tragödie, ‘A Tribute to Pavarotti’ concert in various cities in throughout Florida, and Tenor 2 (Doubt) in The Tibetan Book of the Dead by Ricky Ian Gordon with Opera Grand Rapids, among others.
Repertoire
Roles Performed/Prepared*
Bizet - CARMEN - Don José
Gounod - FAUST - Faust*
Gluck - THE REFORMED DRUNKARD - Cléon
Leoncavallo - PAGLIACCI - Canio*
Mascagni - CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA - Turiddu*
Mozart - DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE - Tamino
Offenbach - LES CONTES D’HOFFMANN - Hoffman
Puccini - LA BOHÉME - Rodolfo
Puccini - LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST - Dick Johnson
Puccini - MADAMA BUTTERFLY - Lt. B. F. Pinkerton
Puccini - TOSCA - Cavaradossi
Puccini - TURANDOT - Calaf
Previn - STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE - Mitch
Prokofiev - MADDALENA - Genaro
Saint-Saëns - SAMSON ET DELILAH - Samson*
Smetana - THE BARTERED BRIDE - Jenìk*
Susa - THE DANGEROUS LIASONS - Chevalier de Danceny
Tchaikovsky - EUGENE ONEGIN - Lenski
Tchaikovsky - PIQUE DAME - Hermann
Verdi - AÏDA - Radames*
Verdi - RIGOLETTO - Il Duca
Verdi - IL TROVATORE - Manrico*
Weiser - WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD - Philip Herriton
Zemlinsky - EINE FLORENTINISCHE TRAGÖDIE - Prince Guido Bardi
*denotes in preparation
Concert/Oratorio
Haydn - LORD NELSON MASS - Tenor soloist
Schubert - MASS IN C NO.4 - Tenor soloist
Scriabin - SYMPHONY NO.1 - Tenor soloist
Beethoven - 9TH SYMPHONY - Tenor soloist
Mozart - REQUIEM - Tenor soloist
Verdi - REQUIEM - Tenor Soloist*
*denotes in preparation