Acclaimed for her radiant lyric soprano and compelling stage presence, Tessa McQueen recently completed her tenure as a member of the prestigious Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at The Metropolitan Opera. During her time in the program, she appeared in The Magic Flute (First Lady), La traviata (Annina), and the Met’s SummerStage recital series in 2025 and 2026.
Highlights of McQueen’s 26/27 season include her European debut at the Salzburg Easter Festival in Wagner’s Die Walküre (Helmwige), presented as part of the festival’s new Ring cycle with the Berliner Philharmoniker under Kirill Petrenko and directed by Kirill Serebrennikov. Additional engagements include the Sag Harbor Song Festival and Operalia in Shanghai.
In the 25/26 season, McQueen returned to Wolf Trap Opera as a Filene Artist for Puccini’s Tosca (title role) and made her debut with the National Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 under Gianandrea Noseda.
In the 24/25 season, McQueen covered Strauss’ Guntram (Freihild) with the American Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. She participated in the Merola Opera Program, covering Don Giovanni (Donna Elvira) and performing Pagliacci (Nedda) in the Schwabacher Summer Scenes Concert. As a Studio Artist with Wolf Trap Opera, she covered Faust (Marguerite) and performed scenes from Idomeneo (Elettra), Falstaff (Alice Ford), and Der Rosenkavalier (Marschallin).
McQueen made her professional debut with Central City Opera in the world premiere of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s Two Remain (Out of Darkness) (Krystyna Żywulska), where she was a Young Artist supported by the El Pomar Foundation and received the company’s Young Artist Award. She was also an Opera-to-Go Young Artist with Opera Saratoga, appearing in Jack and the Beanstalk (Jack’s Mother; Giant’s Wife).
A prize-winning artist, McQueen won first prize in both the 2026 Cooper-Bing Competition and Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition. She was also a National Finalist in the 2024 Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition after winning the Colorado–Wyoming District and Rocky Mountain Region rounds. Additional honors include prizes from the Palm Springs Opera Guild Competition and Denver Lyric Opera Guild Competition.
On the concert stage, McQueen has appeared as soprano soloist in Mozart’s Mass in C minor with the Washington City Choir and John Rutter’s Requiem with the Rice Chorale.
McQueen holds a Master of Music from Rice University and a Bachelor of Music, with honors, from Oklahoma City University, where her roles included The Bartered Bride (Marie), Susannah (title role), and Cendrillon (title role). She is based in New York City.
2026-2027
