BIOGRAPHY
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Brazilian-American mezzo-soprano Melissa Zgouridi has been lauded by audiences & critics alike for her “sublime, sparkling bronze voice” (Forumopera.com) & “passionate interpretation” (Das Opernglas).
Melissa opens her 2024/2025 season as Carmen in a new production of Bizet's iconic opera for Theater Hagen. Melissa will then make her role debut as Erda in “Siegfried” at the Saarländisches Staatstheater. She will then return to Theater Dortmund as Erda in both "Das Rheingold" and "Siegfried" as part of their presentation of the full Ring cycle. In May 2025, Melissa will perform Erda in a concert version of “Siegfried” at the Opéra Royal du Château de Versailles with Sébastien Rouland & the Saarländisches Staatsorchester.
In the 2023/2024 season, Melissa sang the 3rd Weird Sister in Pascal Dusapin’s “Macbeth Underworld” at the Opéra Comique (directed by Thomas Jolly, conducted by Franck Ollu), Prinz Orlofsky in“Die Fledermaus” with Stadttheater Klagenfurt (directed by Aron Stiehl, conducted by Nicholas Milton), Erda in a new production of “Das Rheingold” at Theater Dortmund (directed by Peter Konwitschny, conducted by Gabriel Feltz) & covered Suzuki in Anthony Minghella’s celebrated production of “Madama Butterfly” at the Metropolitan Opera.
Top: As Carmen in "Carmen"
Left: As Prinz Orlofsky in "Die Fledermaus"
From 2021 to 2023, Melissa was in the ensemble of the Saarländisches Staatstheater. She quickly became a "crowd favorite" (OPUS Kulturmagazin) through her dynamic performances of Carmen (Carmen), Ruggiero (Alcina), Erda (Das Rheingold) & Prinz Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus). In 2023, she created the role of Laertes in the world premiere of Sarah Nemtsov’s “Ophelia”. Melissa appeared with the Saarländisches Staatstheater at the Opéra Royal du Château de Versailles as both Erda & Floßhilde in a concert version of “Das Rheingold” & at the Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg as the 3rd Weird Sister in Pascal Dusapin’s “Macbeth Underworld”.
Additional previous engagements include Berg’s "Sieben frühe Lieder" with ensembleKONTRASTE under the baton of Jac van Steen in Nürnberg, Roßweiße in a concert version of Wagner’s “Die Walküre” for Staatstheater Augsburg & Lehrbuben in “Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg” at the Salzburg Easter Festival, conducted by Christian Thielemann & directed by Jens-Daniel Herzog. A passionate oratorio & concert performer, she has been heard as a soloist in a range of repertoire in Austria, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands & the United States.
Melissa is the recipient of numerous prizes & awards. She was a finalist of the 2024 Elizabeth Connell Competition at Wigmore Hall, a finalist & recipient of the Eva Kleinitz Award at the Concorso Lirico Internazionale di Portofino & was awarded both Fifth Prize & the Mercedes Viñas Extraordinary Prize at the Tenor Vinãs Competition at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. Melissa is a grantee of the Olga Forrai Foundation for Dramatic Voices, a Bayreuth scholarship holder of the International Richard Wagner Association & a recipient of a Fulbright Grant.
Melissa graduated with distinction from the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg (Austria) with a master’s degree in Lied & Oratorio performance & holds a bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance from the Eastman School of Music (USA). Melissa lives in Austria.
"Zgouridi's darkly colored voice has expression, character, substance. With her passionate interpretation & remarkable technique, she achieved by far the greatest success."
DAS OPERNGLAS
OPERA REPERTOIRE
+in preparation
*cover
BIZET
Carmen (Carmen)
Mercédès (Carmen)
DUSAPIN, PASCAL
3rd Weird Sister (Macbeth Underworld)
HANDEL
Amastre (Xerxes)
Ruggiero (Alcina)
MENOTTI
Miss Todd (The Old Maid & the Thief)
MOORE, DOUGLAS
Augusta Tabor (The Ballad of Baby Doe)
NEMTSOV, SARAH
Laertes (Ophelia) - World Premiere
POULENC
Mère Jeanne (Les dialogues des Carmélites) - in English
PUCCINI
Suzuki (Madama Butterfly)
J. STRAUSS
Prince Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus) - in German
R. STRAUSS
Dryade (Ariadne auf Naxos)
TCHAIKOVSKY
Olga (Eugene Onegin)
VERDI
Annina (La Traviata)+
Flora (La Traviata)
Maddalena (Rigoletto)*
Quickly (Falstaff)
WAGNER
Brangäne (Tristan und Isolde)+
Erda (Das Rheingold)
Erda (Siegfried)+
Floßhilde (Das Rheingold)
Fricka (Das Rheingold)*
Roßweiße (Die Walküre)
CONCERT REPERTOIRE
+in preparation
* cover
BACH
St. Matthew Passion
Weihnachtsoratorium (Parts I-III)
BEETHOVEN
Symphony No. 9
BERG
Sieben frühe Lieder
BERLIOZ
Les nuits d'été
DURUFLÉ
Requiem
ELGAR
The Music Makers*
HANDEL
Messiah
HAYDN
Paukenmesse
Scena di Berenice (Hob. Xxiva:10)
MAHLER
Symphony No. 2
Symphony No. 3
MOZART
Ch'io mi scordi di te? (K.505)
Coronation Mass
Mass in C Major "Piccolomini"
Requiem
ROSSINI
Petite messe solennelle
PERGOLESI
Stabat mater
VERDI
Requiem+