Michaela Martens

The American mezzo-soprano is renowned internationally for portrayals of some of the most memorably dramatic roles in the repertoire. In addition to Klytämnestra (San Francisco, Houston) and the Nurse/Die Frau ohne Schatten (Oper Graz), her other successes in Strauss include Adelaide/Arabella (San Francisco earlier this season) and Herodias/Salome (The Santa Fe Opera, Pittsburgh Opera). Among her other German roles are Kundry/Parsifal (Metropolitan Opera), Gertrud/Hansel and Gretel (Bavarian State Opera, Met, English National Opera) and Fricka/Das Rheingold (North Carolina Opera). Martens has taken on works of composers as varied as Berlioz (Cassandre/ Les Troyens, San Francisco, Geneva), Massenet (title role/Hérodiade, Washington), Giordano (Countess/ Andrea Chénier, Met), Bartók (Judith/Bluebeard’s Castle, New Japan Philharmonic, ENO), Janáček (Kostelnička/Jenůfa, ENO), Virgil Thomson (Susan B. Anthony/The Mother of Us All, New York’s Hudson Opera House), and John Adams (Marilyn Klinghoffer/ The Death of Klinghoffer, Met, ENO, St. Louis Symphony). She debuted at Carnegie Hall with the American Symphony Orchestra in the title role of Magnard’s rarely heard Bérénice. Additional recent concert engagements include Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (Cleveland Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony) and the Verdi Requiem (Grant Park Music Festival, Spoleto Festival USA).

Previously at Lyric: Klytämnestra/Elektra (2018/19); Nurse/Die Frau ohne Schatten (2007/08).

Last updated: February 2, 2019