Mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe is considered to be one of the most highly respected and critically acclaimed artists of her generation.
Ms. Blythe has sung in many of the renowned opera houses in the US and Europe including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Seattle Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, and the Opera National de Paris. Her many roles include the title roles in
Carmen, Samson et Dalila , Orfeo ed Euridice, L'Italiana in Algeri , La Grande Duchesse, Tancredi, Mignon, and
Guilio Cesare; Frugola, Principessa, and Zita in
Il Trittico, Fricka in both
Das Rheingold and
Die Walküre, Waltraute in
Götterdämmerung, Azucena in
Il Trovatore, Ulrica in
Un Ballo in Maschera, Baba the Turk in
The Rake's Progress, Jezibaba in
Rusalka, Jocasta in
Oedipus Rex, Mere Marie in
Dialogues des Carmélites; ,Mistress Quickly in
Falstaff, Ino/Juno in
Semele, and Orlofsky in
Die Fledermaus.Ms. Blythe has also appeared with many of the world's finest orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Orchestra of New York, Minnesota Orchestra, Halle Orchestra, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Ensemble Orchestre de Paris, and the Concertgerbouworkest. She has also appeared at the Tangelwood, Cincinnati May, and Ravinia festivals, and at the BBC Proms. The many conductors with whom she has worked include Harry Bicket, James Conlon, Charles Dutoit, Mark Elder, Christoph Eschenbach, James Levine, Nicola Luisotti, Sir Charles Mackerras, John Nelson, Antonio Pappano, Mstislav Rostropovitch, Robert Spano, Patrick Summers, and Michael Tilson Thomas.
A frequent recitalist, Ms. Blythe has been presented in recital in New York by Zankel Hall, Lincoln Center’s Great Performers Series at Alice Tully Hall and its American Songbook Series at the Allen Room, the 92nd Street Y, Town Hall, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She has also been presenter by the Vocal Arts Society and at the Supreme Court at the invitation of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg in Washington, DC; the Cleveland Art Song Festival, the University Musical Society in Ann Arbor, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and Shriver Hall in Baltimore.
A champion of American song, she recently premiered
Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson, by the late James Legg in Town Hall. She also premiered
Vignettes: Ellis Island, a song cycle written especially for her by Alan Smith which was featured in a special television program entitled
Vignettes: An Evening with Stephanie Blythe and Warren Jones. Her most recent collaboration with Mr. Smith was
Covered Wagon Woman, a piece commissioned for Ms. Blythe’s residency with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and recorded with the ensemble on its own label, CMS Studio Recordings.
Ms Blythe starred in the Metropolitan Opera’s live HD broadcasts of
Orfeo ed Euridice and
Il Trittico. Her recordings of works by Mahler, Brahms, and Wagner and of arias by Handel and Bach are available on the Virgin Classics label.
This season, Ms. Blythe returned to the Metropolitan Opera for
Rodelinda, Aida and the complete
Ring Cycle, and appeared with the New York Philharmonic and with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra at Cal Performances. Upcoming engagements include her debut at the Deutscheoper Berlin in concert performances of
Il Trovatore, a return to the Mostly Mozart Festival, and a new production of
Un Ballo in Maschera at the Metropolitan Opera. She will also tour the US with two of her highly acclaimed programs:
We’ll Meet Again: The Songs of Kate Smith and an All-American song program, culminating in recital in Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium.
Ms. Blythe was named
Musical America’s Vocalist of the Year for 2009. Her other awards include the 2007
Opera News Award and the 1999 Richard Tucker Award.
Last updated April 2012. Contact Opus 3 Artists for the most up-to-date version.
