Lauded
for
her strong dramatic presentation and
"big, well-focused
voice"
(Neue Merker) of
"considerable weight and
expressive
coloring"
(Baltimore
Sun), mezzo
soprano
Madeleine
Gray was
born in New York,
but for many
years
made her home
in
the United
Kingdom.
She is a
graduate of the
Royal
Northern
College of
Music, where awards
included a major grant
from
the
Peter Moores
Foundation.
In
2010 she joins the Bard Summerscape
Festival for performances
of Aurelia in
The
Chocolate Soldier and 2011 plans include Mahler's Eighth
Symphony at the Sydney Opera House in Australia and a return to
Annapolis Opera to sing Marcellina in le Nozze di
Figaro.
Recent performances
include
The
Witch in
Hansel
and
Gretel for Opera on the
James, Emilia in Otello with
Opera Roanoake, mezzo soloist in
Beethoven's
9th Symphony with
the
York Symphony and
Quad
City Symphony
orchestras
, and Mama
Lucia in
Cavalleria
Rusticana for
Toledo
Opera,
repeating
the
role in
critically-acclaimed
concert performances opposite Dolora Zajick
and
Salvatore Licitra with
Washington National
Opera.
A favorite
with the
former
Baltimore
Opera, her many roles
with the
company included,
among
others,
Berta il
Barbiere di
Siviglia, 4th Maid
in
Elektra,
Marcellina
le Nozze
di
Figaro,
the Voice of
Antonia's Mother in
Contes
d'Hoffmann and
Anna in Maria
Stuarda
.
Since her return to
the US,
she has also performed
regularly
with the
Washington
National
Opera where she
made
her debut
as
Rebecca Nurse in
special
performances of The
Crucible, returned
for
the roles The Duchess of
Krakenthorp
Fille du
Regiment and to
cover
Flora la
Traviata
and The
Mayor’s
Wife Jenufa
and
in
the 2008
season she joined the
company as
Mama
Lucia in Cavalleria
Rusticana.
Other
recent
US performances
include
her Avery
Fisher Hall
debut as
alto soloist in
Messiah
with
the National
Chorale, a
return to
the National
Cathedral
Choral Society as mezzo
soloist in the
Mozart
Requiem, a company
debut with
Opera
Columbus as 3rd
Lady in
Die
Zauberflöte
and
she
created the
role of
Marie in
the world
premiere of
Donizetti’s "lost"
opera
Elisabeth in
its first
performance at
the
Caramoor
International
Festival
conducted by
noted bel-canto scholar Will
Crutchfield. She
also
recently added the roles
of
Mrs
Herring in
Albert Herring,
the
Sorceress in Dido and
Aeneas,
and
Lady
Sangazure
in The
Sorcerer
to her
repertoire
with performances in
New
York,
Philadelphia
and
Baltimore.
Other
roles in her wide-ranging
operatic
repertoire include
Amneris
(Aida), Orfeo
(Orfeo
e
Euridice),
Geneviève
(Pelleas et
Melisande),
Emilia
(Otello), Ma
Moss
(The
Tender
Land),
3rd
Lady
(The Magic
Flute),
and
Baba
(The
Medium), a
role
for
which
she has received
considerable recognition,
including
earning a
"Pick
of the Fringe" award
from the Buxton
Festival
for her
performance.
Companies
with which she
has
performed
include
the
Aldeburgh
Festival,
Annapolis Opera, Banff
Festival for the Arts,
ECOV,
The Opera Company,
Opera
North,
Scottish
Opera,
San Francisco
Opera’s
touring
company Western
Opera
Theater,
and many
others. She
is
also a
frequent
recital and
concert
performer,
with
numerous
appearances
throughout
Europe
and the
United
States. Highlights
include
performances at the
Tanglewood
Festival
and
The Banff Festival for
the
Arts as well as appearing
as a
featured
soloist with de
Vlaamse
Oper Orchestra
in
their "Night at
the Proms"
series.
