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discipline = "Bass"
primary_image = "https://res.cloudinary.com/schmopera/image/upload/v1636121645/media/2021/11/WilliamGuanboSu_qyrly2.jpg"
primary_image_credit = ""
related_companies = ["scene/companies/houston-grand-opera.md", "scene/companies/the-metropolitan-opera.md"]
slug = "william-guanbo-su"
social_media = []
title = "William Guanbo Su"
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Heralded by the New York Times for “musical taste, honest execution of Handelian ornaments and bel canto filigree, and a solid voice,” William Guanbo Su is a 2019 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions Grand Finals winner.

He is currently in his final year as a member of the Houston Grand Opera Studio. This season he sings Zuniga in _Carmen_, the First Officer in _Dialogues des Carmélites_, Second Armed Man _in Die Zauberflöte_—while also being responsible for Sarastro, Mandarin in _Turandot_—while also being responsible for Timur, and the Duke of Verona in _Roméo et Juliette_. Last season, he sang excerpts of Enrico in _Anna Bolena_ and the Commendatore in _Don Giovanni_ in the Houston Grand Opera Studio Showcase and later presented Schumann’s Liederkreis Op. 39; both programs were presented digitally. He made his company debut as the Usher in _Rigoletto_ before his performances of Sparafucile in outdoor performances of _Rigoletto_, Second Armored Man in _Die Zauberflöte_ were cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic, as were the Second Knight in _Parsifal_, and the Sadistic Sailor in _Breaking the Waves_.

Also in the 2021-22 season, he makes his Metropolitan Opera debut as the Jailer in _Tosca_. His spring and summer engagements of 2021 also included his debut with Austin Opera as Angelotti in _Tosca_ and his return to the Aspen Music Festival as Sarastro in _Die Zauberflöte_ and Garibaldo in _Rodelinda_, all role debuts. His future engagements include a return to Austin Opera for in bel canto repertoire.

Previously at the Aspen Music Festival, Mr. Su sang his first performances of Basilio in _Il barbiere di Siviglia_. As an ambassador for Opera for Peace, he sang Verdi’s “O tu Palermo” from _I vespri siciliani_ for that organization’s digital concert celebrating World Opera Day 2020. He is a former Gerdine Young Artist of the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, at which he sang Count Ceprano in _Rigoletto_ and covered Figaro in _Le nozze di Figaro_. He joined Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Lyric Unlimited for its production of Perla’s _An American Dream_. While at The Juilliard School, he sang the Commendatore in _Don Giovanni_ and Pluton in _Hippolyte et Aricie_.

His performances of Handel’s _Messiah_ with the Portland Baroque Orchestra and Beethoven’s Mass in C in the 2019-20 season were also cancelled due to the pandemic. He made his recent Carnegie Hall debut with the Cecilia Chorus of New York singing Bach’s _Christmas Oratorio_ and returned to the famed stage a year later for Handel’s _Messiah_ with the same organization.

In addition to winning the Metropolitan Opera National Council Grand Finals in 2019, Mr. Su won second prize in the Eleanor McCollum Competition at Houston Grand Opera. He won first prize in the Liederkranz Foundation’s Song/Lieder Competition in 2017 and, in 2018, received third prize in the Gerda Lissner Opera Competition.

William Guanbo Su received his Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School and his Bachelor of Music Degree from the Manhattan School of Music. He completed further studies at the Franz Schubert Institute in Austria.