After 19 years as a voice teacher at the Thornton School of Music of the University of Southern California (USC), Shigemi Matsumoto has recently retired from the voice faculty. But for the past 29 years, she is still a long standing member of the voice faculty at The Bob Cole Conservatory at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). She also maintains a private voice studio in Northridge. Additionally, she has taught in Europe at a well known international vocal summer opera program and was also a master teacher, at the summer program of the Jarvis Conservatory. Shigemi was asked to give a series of master classes in Chengdu, China (China's 4th largest city) at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music. This conservatory is the 3rd most prestigious and 3rd largest in the country.
Many of her students have been among winners of various vocal competitions. One student won First Place in the Western Regional Metropolitan Auditions. This was followed, the very next year, by another student who won Second Place in the very same vocal competition. Still, yet another of her students, won First Place in the Spotlight Awards, in the category of Classical Voice. The Spotlight Awards are organized by the Music Center of Los Angeles, and yearly recognizes, through cash scholarships, the very best high school students in their various disciplines, from throughout Southern California.
Her students have been active in many summer programs. Included in these programs is the Academy of the West (directed by mezzo soprano Marilyn Horne); The Institute for Young Dramatic Voices (founded and directed by mezzo soprano Dolora Zajick); Glimmerglass Opera; Tanglewood Festival; Salzburg, Austria; Graz, Austria; Florence, Italy; and The International Lyric Academy of Viterbo/Rome, Italy (ILAR).
Some of Ms. Matsumoto's students have performed with opera companies including the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Houston Opera, San Diego Opera and Opera Pacific. Others have performed with international opera organizations in Great Britain, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Brazil and Chile. Others have continued their studies abroad in Vienna.
Ms. Matsumoto is often asked to adjudicate vocal competitions in Southern California and among them, she has judged the Metropolitan Opera Regional Auditions, the Luciano Pavarotti International Vocal Competition, the Young Musicians Foundation Vocal Auditions, and the Spotlight Awards, just to mention a few.
She is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) and has also served as a past member of the LA Opera Community Action Outreach Committee. In her long distinguished career as a teacher, she has given many masterclasses and seminars including one for the National Convention of the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers.
