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. Since returning to the US, she has enjoyed a regular association with the Washington National Opera where she made her debut as Rebecca Nurse in special performances of The Crucible and has since returned for the roles The Duchess of Krakenthorp Fille du Regiment and to cover Flora la Traviata  and The Mayor’s Wife Jenufa.  In the 2008 season she joins the company  to sing Mamma Lucia in concert performances of Cavalleria Rusticana.  She is also a favorite  with Baltimore Opera where roles have included 4th Maid in Elektra, Berta in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Marcellina le Nozze di Figaro, the Voice of Antonia's Mother in Contes d'Hoffmann and in 2007-08 she performs Anna in Maria Stuarda and Gertrude in Romeo et Juliette with the company.  The 2008 season also marks her company debut with Toledo Opera, where she will sing Mamma 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 peformances 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), 2nd/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 Copmany, 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. REPERTOIRE LIST