MEZZO-SOPRANOS

MaryBeth Hazel (Berta): Mezzo-soprano MaryBeth Hazel has appeared with Commonwealth Opera, Opera at Fordham and Boheme Opera, among others, performing such roles as Suzuki (Madama Butterfly), Marcellina (Le Nozze di Figaro), Berta, Mercedes (Carmen) and Count Orlovsky (Die Fledermaus). Oratorio works include Handel's Messiah, Mozart's Coronation Mass, Mendelssohn's St. Paul and Elijah and Rossini's Stabat Mater. Upcoming engagements include Mercedes and High Preistess (Aida) with Metro Lyric Opera of New Jersey and Mamma Lucia (Cavalleria Rusticana) with New Rochelle Opera.

Monika Krajewska (Carmen, Rosina (Friday), Seibel): Mezzo-soprano Monika Krajewska is described as an artist who is capable of giving "…full range to the inherent drama of her voice…" and possessing the "…skills with which to emphasize its luscious, full beauty." Ms. Kajewska has garnered numerous prizes, including the Giuseppe Verdi Prize at Palm Beach Opera, the Amici Competition, MacAllister Opera Competition, and the Rosa Ponselle Competition, among others. She appeared with the Aspen Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Des Moines Opera, Utah Opera, Chattanooga Opera, Opera Theater of Connecticut, Yale Opera and Caramoor Festival. Ms. Krajewska made her Carnegie Hall debut in the Mozart Requiem and her European debut as Carlotta in Donizetti's Il Borgomastro di Saardam at Belcanto Festival (Holland). Her operatic credits include Carmen and Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia for CLO, Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, Angelina in Cenerentola, Nicklausse and Gulietta in Les Contes d' Hoffmann, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Pierotto in Linda Chamounix, Laura in Tchaikovsy's Iolanta and Madelon in Andrea Chenier. Ms. Krajewska holds a Master of Music from Yale University and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Connecticut.

Margaret Tyler (Mercedes, Marthe): Mezzo-soprano Margaret Tyler moved to Connecticut in 1994. Ms. Tyler has performed operatic roles with Connecticut Opera, Salt Marsh Opera, Cappella Cantorum, and CONCORA (Connecticut Choral Artists), and was featured as a Showcase Artist in the premier gala benefit for the Salt Marsh Opera Company. She has been a soloist with the Mystic River Chorale, the Stonington Choral Society, Cappella Cantorum, the Texas A&M University Women's Chorus, the Trinity Episcopal Choir, Teatro Latino de New London, and CONCORA. Ms. Tyler is the lead singer and soloist at Calvary Episcopal Church in Stonington, and is a guest soloist at numerous churches in Connecticut and Rhode Island. She directs an annual Renaissance Christmas pageant in Norwich, enjoys acting in community theater productions, teaches voice through Calvary Music School, and studies with Adele Paxton.

Meredith Ziegler (Seibel (cover)): Meredith Ziegler (mezzo-soprano) received her Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Connecticut in 2004. She has performed with Shaker Mountain Opera, UConn Opera, Mansfield Community Opera, and will be performing this spring with Simsbury Light Opera. Her roles include Hansel (Hansel and Gretel), Siebel (Faust), 2nd Lady (Die Zauberflöte), Sandman (Hansel and Gretel), and Iolanthe (Iolanthe). In the concert arena, Ms. Ziegler has performed as a soloist with New Haven Oratorio Choir, Holyoke Civic Symphony, Wallingford Chorale, and Connecticut Opera. She is the 2nd place winner of the Amici Competition and the winner of the 2003 UConn Concerto Competition.

OPERA FACT

The stereotypical image of a fat woman in a horned helmet screaming in a foreign language is not really seen much anymore.

Today's trend in opera is for singers to be believable in their roles in size, stature, voice and dress.