Faculty Recital: MaryAnn McCormick, Mezzo-Soprano

Artist(s)

Internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano MaryAnn McCormick has been hailed in the press as “charismatic”, “spell-binding”, and “elegant.”

Her international operatic credits include Isabella in L’italiana in Algeri at La Scala in Milan, Azucena in Il Trovatore at the Teatro Regio di Torino, the title role of Carmen at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Maddalena in Rigoletto under Daniele Gatti at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Gluck’s Alceste under Bruno Bartoletti at the Teatro Regio di Parma, and First Maid in Elektra with Christoph von Dohnanyi at the Opéra National de Paris. Ms. McCormick is also a recipient of the Grammy award for Best Opera Recording (2012) for her participation in Wagner’s Ring Cycle with the Metropolitan Opera in Die Walküre in the role of Grimgerde for the premiere of the Robert LaPage production. Her most recent operatic engagements include performances as Marcellina in Le Nozze di Figaro , Suzuki in Madama Butterfly and Marcellina, Frugola in il Tabarro , The Monitor in Suor Angelica , and Zita in Gianni Schicchi ( Il Trittico ), Enrichetta in I Puritani , Erda in Das Rheingold , the North American premiere of Huang Ruo’s opera Dr. Sun Yat-Sen , sung in Mandarin, and Ricky Ian Gordon’s newly revised opera The Grapes of Wrath . Recent orchestral engagements include Elgar’s Sea Pictures, Mahler’s Rückert Lieder , Mahler’s 3rd symphony , Bach’s St. Matthew Passion.

With the Metropolitan Opera of New York, MaryAnn McCormick has performed roles in many operas over more than twenty five seasons and 140 performances on stage. In previous seasons Ms. McCormick made debuts with both Teatro la Fenice as Waltraute in Die Walküre conducted by Jeffrey Tate and Teatro dell’Opera di Roma as Priyamvada in Alfano’s Sakuntala . Other important highlights include Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with Opera Colorado, Maddalena in Rigoletto with Seattle Opera; the role of Nefertiti in Phillip Glass’ Akhnaten with the Atlanta Opera, and performances of Das Lied Von der Erde with the Orchestra Verdi in Milan. She also created the roles of Grandma Josephine and Mrs. Teavee for the world premiere of Peter Ash’s The Golden Ticket based on the book “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”

MaryAnn McCormick has toured Japan with Wolfgang Sawallisch and the Philadelphia Orchestra in performances of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 , a work she has also performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Academy of St-Martin-in-the-Fields, and the Dutch Radio Philharmonic among others. Other concert highlights include Ariadne auf Naxos with Sawallisch and the Philadelphia Orchestra; John Corigliano’s Of Rage and Remembrance with the Boston Symphony Orchestra; Mozart’s Requiem , and Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater with the Montreal Symphony; Handel’s Messiah with the National Symphony, the Montreal Symphony and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra; Bruch’s Odysseus with the American Symphony Orchestra; Verdi’s Messa di Requiem with the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, and the Oratorio Society of New York; El Amor Brujo with the Brooklyn Philharmonic; Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle and Act III of Die Walküre at the Tanglewood Festival with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

As a recitalist and chamber musician, Ms. McCormick’s notable performances include recitals in New York’s Morgan Library, Boston’s Jordan Hall, The Châtelet in Paris, Tokyo’s Suntory Hall and Philadelphia’s Academy of Music. She has recorded with the Emerson String Quartet in the Grammy-nominated recording of Anton Webern’s Three Pieces for String Quartet, Op. 3, No. 3 , on Deutsche-Grammophon; Orchestre National de France in the role of Tigrane in Puccini’s Edgar ; The New York Philharmonic under Kurt Masur in Debussy’s Le Martyre de Saint Sebastien; and is featured singing in the Miramax film The Talented Mr. Ripley .