Shigemi Matsumoto has performed with over 50 national and international opera companies including San Francisco, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Brussels, Wolf Trap, Portland, Kansas City, San Antonio and Tucson. Her opera roles include Mimi, Musetta, Susanna, Micaela, Norina, Adina, Pamina, Despina, Rosina, Nanetta, Abigail, Adele, and Zerlina. She has performed with more than 60 national and international symphony orchestras including San Francisco, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Minnesota, Houston, Lourdes (France), San Antonio, and Denver.

Ms. Matsumoto has given over 300 solo recitals including recitals in New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, Tokyo, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Vancouver, Seattle, Houston, and Dallas. She has performed with many of today’s leading conductors and major singers including Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, and Leontyne Price. She has appeared on national radio and television broadcasts and also performs on two opera CD’s with Luciano Pavarotti and a Christmas album with the NBC Orchestra.

As a young singer, she won numerous national and regional awards and grants including first prize in the Western Regional Metropolitan Auditions (at the age of 21) and the grand prize winner of the San Francisco Opera National Auditions. She was the recipient of major long term financial study grants from the National Opera Institute and the International Institute of Education, both in Washington, D.C. Ms. Matsumoto was guest soloist in the 25th anniversary concert commemorating the founding of the United Nations. She was chosen as Japanese Women of the Year for Southern California. Her biography appears in more than a dozen publications including the: 2000 Outstanding Musicians of the 20th Century, Who’s Who in Opera, Who’s Who in American Music, Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who in America, and the International Who’s Who in Music. She adjudicates vocal competitions and has judged the Metropolitan Opera Auditions, the Luciano Pavarotti International Vocal Competition, the Young Musicians Foundation Vocal Auditions, and the Spotlight Awards.

Her students have won both national and regional awards and honors including both first and second prizes in the Western Regional Metropolitan Opera Auditions and first prize in the International Opera Singer’s Competition in New York City. Some have professionally performed in Great Britain, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Brazil, Columbia, and Chile. Others have performed with the Metropolitan Opera, NYC Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Houston Opera, San Diego Opera, Opera Pacific, Eugene Opera, Portland Opera, Opera San Jose, Saratoga Opera, El Paso Opera, Santa Barbara Opera, Michigan Opera, Nevada Opera, and Long Beach Opera. Others have performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony, Los Angeles Master Chorale, a principal soloist in several symphonic concerts in Carnegie Hall, and one had a principal singing role in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast on Broadway.

Ms. Matsumoto is the founder and President of The Classical Singers Association (CSA), a non-profit association, dedicated towards developing the performance and professional singing skills of its members and to further their knowledge and understanding of the requirements of a professional singing career. In addition to her faculty position at California State University, Long Beach, she is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor of voice at The Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California, has a very active private studio, and teaches privately in Northridge.