Melissa Citro
Soprano
In the summer of 2009 Ms. Citro made her debut with Glimmerglass Opera as Magda Sorel in Menotti’s The Consul. A Grand Finals Winner of the 2001 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Ms. Citro made her international debut in the title role of Janáček’s Jenůfa at Stuttgart Opera in July of 2008, in Calixto Bieito's acclaimed production.
In the 2010-2011 season Ms. Citro made her debut with San Francisco Opera as Freia in Das Rheingold, Gutrune in Götterdämmerung and debuted the role of Sieglinde in Die Walküre with the Virginia Opera. She joined the San Francisco Opera for the Makropulos Case. During the 2011-2012 season she joins the cast of The Makropoulos Case at the Metropolitan Opera.
During the 2009 – 2010 season, Ms. Citro returned to the Los Angeles Opera to sing the roles of Ortlinde and Third Norn and covered the roles of Sieglinde and Guturne in Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen. She joined the Hawaii Opera Theatre as Ortlinde in Die Walküre, and was heard with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra in Strauss’ Vier Letzte Lieder with conductor Marc Taddei. Ms. Citro made her Los Angeles Opera debut in 2008 as the Nursing Sister in Suor Angelica, directed by William Friedkin with James Conlon. In 2006 and 2007 for the Los Angeles Opera Ms. Citro covered the roles of Elisabeth in Tannhäuser, Gertrude in Hänsel und Gretel and the title role of Jenůfa.
Other roles have included Fiordiligi in Cosi fan Tutte with San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program and Western Opera Theater, and the High Priestess in Rameau’s Hippolytus and Aricia with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. While a fellowship artist at Music Academy of the West, her role assignments included the title role in Ariadne auf Naxos and Lady Billows in Britten’s Albert Herring.
Additional awards have included the George London Award, the Richman Award from Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and the first place winner of the Mario Lanza Competition. Ms. Citro was a scholarship winner at the Westminster Choir College and the Juilliard School.
A native of Quincy, Illinois, Ms. Citro has been featured on A&E Television’s Breakfast with the Arts as a rising young star to watch.