Matthew Cairns

Canadian tenor Matthew Cairns was a 2022 Grand Finals Winner of the Met's Laffont Competition, currently in his second year in the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. He returns to the Met stage during the 2023–24 season to cover Walther in Tannhäuser and Leonard in Kevin Puts's The Hours. This season also marks his European debut at Opéra de Toulon, where he sang Nicias in Thaïs under the baton of Victorien Vanoosten. He made his Met debut last season as the Messenger in Aida and covered Bob Boles in Peter Grimes, then made role debuts as Macduff in Macbeth at the Canadian Opera Company and Don José in Carmen at Des Moines Metro Opera. While a member of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio, he appeared as the Prince of Persia in Turandot, the Witch in Hänsel und Gretel, and the Gamekeeper in Rusalka and covered the role of Alfredo in La Traviata. Notable accolades include the Hildegard Behrens Foundation Award, George London Foundation Encouragement Award, first place in the Chautauqua Institution's Sigma Alpha Iota Competition, first place in the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio Competition, and the Canadian Broadcast Corporation's Young Artist Development Prize. In 2022, he was a finalist in the Neue Stimmen Competition and was named one of CBC's "30 Hot Classical Musicians Under 30" in 2019. He is an alumnus of the Gerdine Young Artist Program at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, the Chautauqua Institution, and Internationale Meistersinger Akademie. He holds degrees in voice from the University of Toronto.