New Trier alumnus sings with Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera

New Trier Township High School graduate Matthew Polenzani has come a long way as a singer since his high school days ended in 1986.

The Evanston-born, Wilmette-raised tenor joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for its Messiah performances from Dec. 21 to 23 and performed a lead role with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City earlier this fall.

“I’m especially looking forward to singing the Messiah, which is music I don’t get to do all the time,” Polenzani said. “It’s definitely music of my youth so I’m looking forward to it. The Messiah is especially great for getting yourself in the mood for the holidays.”

Polenzani’s vocal talents and excitement for the CSO gig didn’t disappoint Chicago’s music critics either.

“Polenzani, a local favorite, was also terrific, offering a powerful high A in the normally thankless aria ‘Thou Shalt Break Them,’” music critic Graham Meyer wrote in the Chicago Classical Review.

The Messiah, an oratorio composed by George Frideric Handel, is the story describing Jesus Christ’s life and many of the words are taken from the Old Testament itself. Listeners may recognize a few popular tunes from the oratorio, such as “Hallelujah Chorus.”

Polenzani joined the Metropolitan Opera, commonly referred to as The Met, in its production of Giacomo Puccini’s “La Bohème” earlier this 2023-24 season. His appearances took place in October and early November, according to The Met’s website. “La Bohème” follows a young man, Rodolfo, who was portrayed by Polenzani, and lady, Mimi. Rodolfo and Mimi fall in love until Mimi falls ill and her condition worries Rodolfo to the point where Mimi staying at his unheated apartment becomes a point of contention. Mimi goes on to leave Rodolfo for a wealthier man.

Eventually, the two lovers reunite moments before Mimi’s death after the couple’s mutual friend, Musetta, finds Mimi struggling to navigate the streets due to her illness. The two lovebirds’ friends try to collect supplies — and sell their own possessions to afford the cost — but do not return in time to keep Mimi alive. As the friends are off gathering these materials, Mimi and Rodolfo confess their lifelong love for each other and are pleased to be in each other’s presence. Mimi dies in Rodolfo’s apartment shortly after their friends return with supplies.

“La Bohème” also includes the commonly recognized aria “Quando M’en Vo,” in which Musetta, performed by soprano Olga Kulchynska, sings about how she loves seeing the burning desire in others’ eyes when they simply watch her go about her day.

Polenzani told Pioneer Press he hopes performances like “La Bohème” allow audience members to escape their own realities for a couple of hours and appreciate love in their lives. While many musicians prefer operatic and musical theater works due to the lessons they can portray, Polenzani says opera always stems back to providing entertainment.

“I want people to feel like they’ve left their own shoes. I want them to feel the heartbreak and to weep with us,” Polenzani. “To have them just forget about their own lives for a couple of hours and just enter the lives of Rodolfo and Mimi. That’s the case in any opera really.”

Becoming a world-renowned opera singer wasn’t always part of the plan. Polenzani initially attended Eastern Illinois University to become a music educator, and the transition to performing wasn’t until he sang in a Decatur Park Singers master class with opera singer Allen Held the summer before his senior year of college. Held convinced Polenzani to pursue his master’s degree in performance at the Yale School of Music, which is also where Evanston resident, now-American Brass Quintet trombonist Hillary Simms and fellow New Trier Township High School graduate, now-Carnegie Hall Ensemble Connect bassoonist Marty Tung studied music performance.

“He pulled me aside after the class he gave and said, ‘Hey, listen, have you thought at all about being a singer? They’re always looking for tenors,’” Polenzani said. “So that’s when he got me hooked on Yale, where I went for my master’s degree, and straight out of Yale I went to the young arts program at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and straight from there to The Met.”

Polenzani said the experience with Held helped him envision what life as an opera singer could look like while also understanding the true storytelling power of opera. He said that summer is also when he got into Puccini operas, who he called the John Williams of the late 19th, early 20th century considering his cinematic writing style.

“This is back in the days of cassette tapes so I’d rewind the (Puccini) tape, probably 30 times,” he said. “I could hardly believe what I was listening to.”

Corey Schmidt is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.