Deborah Mayer
Soprano Deborah Mayer recently made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Gerhilde in DIE WALKÜRE in Robert LePage’s new landmark production of The Ring Cycle conducted by Fabio Louisi. She also recently debuted at the Tanglewood Music Festival reprising the role of Gerhilde with the Boston Symphony. Ms. Mayer has also sung the role of Brunnhilde SIEGFRIED in concert with the Toledo Symphony and the Immolation scene from GOTTERDAMMERUNG. Ms. Mayer’s Paris debut was at the Theatre de Chatelet as Ada in Richard Wagner’s first opera DIE FEEN, led by Marc Minkowski and acclaimed stage director Emilio Sagi. The Wiener Zeitung hailed her performance as a ‘magical, then dramatic Ada.” This role represented her foray into Wagnerian repertory with the Mainfranken Theater Würzburg in celebration of the theater’s 200th Anniversary. Of her performance the Frankfurter Neue Presse exclaimed “Hochdramatische, Deborah Mayer (Ada) portrayed the Wagnerian role to its fullest. A real Wagnerian!”
Other important season highlights include Donna Anna DON GIOVANNI (Landestheater Salzburg), Abigaille NABUCCO, Donna Anna DON GIOVANNI, Elettra IDOMENEO and Martha Marnis LIMONEN AUS SIZILIEN by Manfred Tojahn in a new version of the work, directed by the composer. Ms. Mayer has sung Leonora IL TROVATORE with the Baltimore Opera, conducted by Christian Badea, the title role in AIDA with Opera Roanoke Opera, and TOSCA at Opera Theater of Connecticut. Her professional debut was Violetta LA TRAVIATA with Palm Beach Opera under Anton Guadagno.
Ms. Mayer’s European concert debut was as the soprano soloist in Verdi’s MESSA DI REQUIEM with the Philharmonia Orchestra London at the Chichester Festival. She reprised this role in Würzburg, Germany as well as singing Beethoven’s 9TH SYMPHONY with the Würzburg Philharmonic Orchestra under Daniel Klajner for the 60th Anniversary commemoration of the end of World War II. This season she will reprise Beethoven’s 9TH SYMPHONY with the South Bend Symphony and sing the role of the Widow in Mendelssohn’s ELIJAH opposite Nathan Gunn. Other recent performances include Wagner’s WESENDONCK LIEDER in Seoul, Korea with the Daejeon Philharmonic at the Seoul Arts Center for a concert that was telecast nationally.
An accomplished recitalist, Ms. Mayer was invited to perform by the Richard Wagner Society of Bayreuth to present a recital in Bayreuth. She holds the distinction of being the first American awarded a stipendium by this prestigious organization. She was a winner in the 2010 Liederkranz Wagner Competition and performed in the Winners’ concert at Carnegie Hall.
She received her Bachelor of Music, and Master of Music degrees from Indiana University and studied with Virginia Zeani and Nicola Rossi-Lemeni.
March 2015
