Digital Series: Vocal Theatre Works: Starbird

Lauded as a “splendid mezzo-soprano” by the Wall Street Journal, Deanne Meek has performed leading roles at home and abroad to critical acclaim. A native of the Pacific Northwest, she began her career as Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanna for Dublin Grand Opera, Ireland, followed by seasons with New York City Opera in such roles as Suzuki in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Cherubino in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, Zerlina in Don Giovanni and Hansel in Hansel and Gretel. 

Subsequent New York appearances included debut solo performances with the Metropolitan Opera in productions of Mozart’s Idomeneo, Madama Butterfly, Parsifaland Rusalka.  Equally comfortable in the baroque, classical, romantic and contemporary repertoire, the mezzo continues to sing principle roles with many of the great opera companies throughout the world, including Washington Opera, Dallas Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Opera National du Rhin in Strasbourg, Madrid’s Teatro Real, and in Buenos Aires’ Teatro Colon.  Under the direction of acclaimed director Sir David McVicar, Deanne’s British debut performance in the role of Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier for Opera North was praised as “breathtaking” by Opera Magazine, and her interpretation of Ruggiero in Handel’s Alcina for English National Opera shortly thereafter received equally strong praise. In another signature role, the mezzo’s performances as Hermia in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream have brought her to further collaborations with Sir McVicar for La Monnaie in Brussels, and under the direction of Robert Carson, to the Opera de Lyon in France, Teatro alla Scala, Milan, and from the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, in a performance that can be seen on Virgin Classics DVD.

 A champion of new music, the mezzo is frequently heard with the 21st Century Consort at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C, where she recently premiered and recorded Algebra of Night, a new song cycle for mezzo and chamber ensemble by composer Eugene O’Brien. In New York she has also premiered songs by composer Sheila Silver under the title Beauty Intolerable at Symphony Space, and in the Northwest, has performed composer Jake Heggie’s song cycle Camille Claudel: Into the Fire with the Methow Valley Chamber Music festival.  Deanne has also curated and performed several recitals in conjunction with exhibits at the Frye Art Museum. She can be heard in both DVD and Audio format under the BBC, Virgin, PS Classics and Telarc labels.

 Ms. Meek is a graduate of Whitman College and of the Peabody Institute of Music, Johns Hopkins, and holds an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College.  She is an AmSat certified teacher of the Alexander Technique and Associate Teacher of the Fitzmaurice Voicework, and has trained extensively in New York City with the Ping Chong and SITI acting companies. She has been a visiting artist with the University of Washington School of Music since 2016, where she gives vocal master classes, directs, and teaches both movement and acting technique to opera singers. In addition to directing Ravel’s L’enfant et le Sortiléges for the University of Washington School of Music Opera Workshop, upcoming 2018 engagements for the mezzo-soprano include return performances with the Frye Art Museum, the Methow Valley Chamber Music Festival, and her company debut performance with Des Moines Metro Opera in Jonathan Dove’s opera Flight.