Grammy-nominated tenor Rodell Aure Rosel recently made a successful Metropolitan Opera debut as Valzacchi in Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier, and later as Nathanaël in Offenbach’s Les contes d’Hoffmann, both broadcast live in HD in theaters nationwide, under the batons of Edo de Waart and James Levine, respectively. He made his debut at the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Remendado in Carmen in 2005, and, since that time, has appeared on their stage as Prince/Manservant/Marquis in Lulu, Bardolfo in Falstaff, Blind in Die Fledermaus, Altoum in Turandot, Ruiz in Il trovatore, the Second Jew in Salome, and other notable roles. He made his debuts with Florentine Opera (Monostatos in Die Zauberflöte) in 2009, Houston Grand Opera (Squeak in Billy Budd) in 2008 and Pittsburgh Opera (Goro in Madama Butterfly) in 2007. He performed with the Wolf Trap Opera Company in 2007-2008 as Cornaccio in Musto’s Volpone, Monostatos in Die Zauberflöte, the Governor in Candide and Tanzmeister in Ariadne auf Naxos. Last summer, 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, directed by Jonathan Kent, with costume designs by renowned fashion designer Tom Ford. Future engagements include a return to Wolf Trap Opera Company in John Musto’s Bastianello and William Bolcom’s Lucrezia this spring, and to Houston Grand Opera as Goro and Tanzmeister for the 2010-2011 season.

An alumnus of Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Ryan Opera Center, 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.

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 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.