
Performance Year: 2020
American soprano Ellie Dehn has been praised by critics as “a revelation” (Chicago Sun-Times), acclaimed for her “great stage presence and a voice combining metallic clarity and sensual richness” (Wall Street Journal).
Career highlights include her company debut at Royal Opera House Covent Garden as the Countess in Sir David McVicar’s production of Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, conducted by Ivor Bolton, which was broadcasted live to movie theaters around the world; her Metropolitan Opera debut as Mrs. Naidoo in Philip Glass’ Satyagraha, followed by returns as Musetta in Franco Zerferelli’s iconic production of La bohéme and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni; her Teatro alla Scala debut as Antonia in Les Contes d’Hoffmann and return as Musetta; multiple appearances with San Francisco Opera including all three Mozart/Da Ponte heroines: the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, and Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte, as well as Musetta in La bohème and Micaela in Calixto Bieto’s production of Carmen; her debut at Rome’s Teatro dell’Opera as Helena in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and return as Musetta; and her Houston Grand Opera debut Mozart’s Countess.
Highlights of orchestral engagements include performances at Carnegie Hall with the Opera Orchestra of New York in Mozart’s Mass in C minor, Bach’s Magnificat, Vivaldi’s Gloria, and Haydn’s Harmoniemesse. Ms. Dehn has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra on several occasions, most recently as the soprano soloist in Handel’s Messiah and Nielsen’s Symphony No. 3. She has been featured annually at the Cincinnati May Festival, performing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Haydn’s The Seasons, Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 8. She has performed Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional of Mexico and the Milwaukee Symphony. Ms. Dehn also joined the acclaimed International Contemporary Ensemble for the New York premiere of Messiaen’s Chants de terre et de ciel at Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival, and performed Hadyn’s Creation with the Orchetra of St. Luke’s at St. Thomas Church in New York.
Honors and awards include first place in the Gerda Lissner Competition, top prizes in the Licia Albanese and Elardo International Opera Competitions, and a Grand Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera’s National Council Auditions. Ms. Dehn was also a winner of the George London Competition and was subsequently chosen to do a joint recital with the legendary bass-baritone Samuel Ramey at the Morgan Library in New York City.
Her discography includes Ravel: Intimate Masterpieces, released on the Oberlin Music label and distributed by Naxos America, live recordings of Saint-Saëns’ Henry VIII and Weber’s Euryanthe at the Bard SummerScape Festival.