From Scholar to “Enthralling” Star
Meet Tenor Robert MacNeil

Tenor Robert MacNeil has been praised by the Los Angeles Timesfor possessing a voicethat is “clarion” and “clear” and hailed by the San Diego Union Tribune for “his vocal gusto to enthrall an audience.”
Fortunately for local audiences, Robert has provided music lovers with ample opportunity this past year to be “enthralled.” He appeared this season with Los Angeles Opera in productions of Fidelio and La Boheme and performed as a soloist with the Angeles Chorale and New West Symphony in the spring, prior to joining Cal Phil this summer. In addition, the tenor recently made his debut with the famed Ojai Festival under Kent Nagano in Orff’s Die Kluge and recorded the role of Martin in Copland’s opera The Tender Land, which was released on the Koch International Label.
An accomplished concert artist, Robert has performed as a guest soloist in more than fifty productions of Handel’s Messiah worldwide. He has also appeared with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in performances of Elijah, the Sydney Choral Festival in the Berlioz Requiem, the Orchestra Roma Symphonia in Verdi’s Requiem,andinOrff’s Carmina Burana withthe Central Union Philharmonic in Beijing. He made his solo debut at New York City’s iconic Carnegie Hall in a production of Britten’s The World of the Spirit.
Although the Los Angeles Times has described Robert as “an up-and-coming figure on the operatic stage,” he is equally in demand in concert halls nationwide. He has appeared as a guest artist with the Oregon Symphony, Aspen Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Pacific Symphony, Oregon Festival of American Music, Pacific Chorale, Long Beach Opera, Pasadena Symphony, California Philharmonic, Angeles Chorale, Opera Santa Barbara, New West Symphony, Santa Barbara Symphony, and Bozeman Symphony.  He is a special audience favorite with a long roster of ensembles as well, appearing in numerous concerts with the San Diego Chamber Orchestra, Third Angle New Music Ensemble, William Hall Master Chorale, Bakersfield Symphony, California Master Chorale and the Cascade Music Festival.
A National Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Robert received his B.M. from Chapman University and M.M. from the University of Southern California. At the University of Southern California, he was a Marilyn Horne Scholar and was named Most Outstanding Graduate Student from the Thornton School of Music.