Bass-baritone Michael Sumuel begins the 2011 – 12 season with his San Francisco Opera debut as Tom in the world premiere of Christopher Theofanidis’s Heart of a Soldier opposite baritone Thomas Hampson in a Francesco Zambello production  conducted by Patrick Summers .   He returns to San Francisco later in the season for Elviro in Handel’s Xerxes opposite Susan Graham and David Daniels.   He makes his European operatic debut as Schaunard  in La Boheme   at Glyndebourne  Festival Opera.   He also appears with Houston's  Mercury Baroque Ensemble in  excerpts from Jean Phillipe Rameau’s Amants Trahis, Orphee, Thetis.

As a second-year Houston Grand Opera Studio Artist, Michael Sumuel appeared last season as Sharpless in performances of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Antonio in Le Nozze di Figaro, and a Lackey in Richard Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos. He also sang Dulcamara in performances of L’elsir d’amore, Noble in Lohengrin, Sciarrone in Tosca and Narumoff in Tchaikovsky’s Pique Dame. Other operatic roles include Leporello in Don Giovanni, the title role in Gianni Schicchi, and Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro. Concert appearances last season include d  performances with both the Sarasota Artist Series and Mercury Baroque as soloist in Handel’s Messiah.

Sumuel’s competition accolades include the 2009 Fielder Grant for Career Advancement and  winner of the 2009 Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition. An alumnus of the Merola Opera Program at San Francisco Opera Center and Filene Young Artist program at Wolf Trap Opera, At Wolf Trap Opera, Sumuel has performed the roles of Selim in Rossini’s Il turco in Italia, Theseus in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Lelio in Wolf-Ferrari’s Le donne curiose and has also been seen in recital with pianist Steven Blier. Sumuel holds degrees from both Columbus State University and Rice University.