Mary Elizabeth Williams |
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Mary Elizabeth Williams, soprano A Philadelphia native, Mary Elizabeth Williams was a winner of the Concours Clermont-Ferrand, and a finalist in the Concours Reine Elisabeth. As a result of these competitions, she sang recitals and concerts in France and Belgium last season, as well as Lucy in The Telephone, Susanna in Wolf-Ferrari’s Il Segreto di Susanna, and Anna in LeVilli by Puccini. In November of 2005, Ms. Williams made her debut with the Atlanta Opera as Serena in Porgy and Bess. Ms. Williams was a member of the prestigious Centre de Formation Lyrique at the Opera National de Paris. While in Paris she was invited to sing on a Radio France broadcast during an interview and retrospective on famous pianist, Dalton Baldwin. In November of 2002, as a result of a master-class performance, Ms. Williams was also invited by Thomas Hampson to sing in concert with him at the Théâtre de Châtelet. In the summer of 2003, just after winning the Lyric Artist prize given every year by the Bastille’s Cercle Carpeaux, she made her debut as the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro in a production that toured France and Belgium. In the season 2003-2004, she served as cover for Leonora in Il Trovatore. Ms. Williams has been studying vocal music since the age of eleven. At sixteen, she began her collegiate studies in the United States at Luther College in Iowa. While in college, she won many competitions and was given the opportunity to perform in operatic, recital and oratorio repertoire. Her first operatic role was the title role in Puccini's Suor Angelica. She received her degree in 1997. During most of 1998, Ms. Williams performed with the National Touring Company of Kern’s Show Boat. After leaving Show Boat, she settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, studying privately and continuing to compete as a young singer. In 2001, she was a Semi-Finalist in the National Metropolitan Opera auditions. As a result of her performance, Ms. Williams was invited back to New York by the Metropolitan Opera to study and was given scholarship grants to audition in other regions. In addition to performing operatic roles in Don Giovanni, Le Nozze di Figaro, and Der Rosenkavalier, Ms. Williams has been an active recitalist in Portugal, France and the United States. |