Susanne Mentzer
From an introduction to opera as a teenage usher at the Santa Fe Opera, Susanne Mentzer has become one of today's foremost mezzo-sopranos. Recognized for her generous vocal and interpretive gifts, she is widely admired for her versatility, from the recital and concert stage to the operatic arena, specializing in the music of Rossini, Strauss, Mozart, Berlioz and Mahler.Born in Philadelphia, Mentzer began her studies in music therapy at the University of the Pacific and later transferred to The Juilliard School, where she received her bachelor and master's degrees. She went on to study with the Houston Grand Opera Studio.
Noted not only for her bel canto style but also as a specialist in trouser roles, Mentzer has been lauded for her portrayals of Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, Der Komponist in Ariadne auf Naxos, and Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier. She has appeared with many of the great opera companies, orchestras, and festivals throughout North America and Europe, as well as the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, and on tour with the Metropolitan Opera, Mostly Mozart, and the Bavarian State Opera.
In recent seasons, Mentzer sang the title role in Ravel's L'enfant et les sortileges with the New York Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall and appeared on the Metropolitan Opera's 125th Anniversary Gala. She also created the role of Mother in the world premiere of Tan Dun's The First Emperor with Placido Domingo at the Metropolitan Opera, broadcast live to movie theaters around the world as part of the Met's series of high definition broadcasts.
Mentzer enjoys a significant concert and recital career, with a particular interest in chamber music and is known as an interpreter of the vocal works of Mahler and Berlioz, and as a proponent of women composers. In demand as a recitalist, she has appeared at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Town Hall NYC, and the Kennedy Center. Her numerous collaborations include guitarist Sharon Isbin, pianist Leon Fleisher, the Orion and American String Quartets, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Chicago Chamber Musicians, Rembrandt Chamber Musicians, Aspen Music Festival, and Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival.
In addition to her active performance career, Mentzer is a professor of voice at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music in Houston and has served on the faculty of the Aspen Music Festival and the DePaul University School of Music. She frequently gives master classes throughout the country, adjudicates competitions, has worked with young singers associated with the George London Foundation, and is a board member of the William M. Sullivan Foundation awarding study grants to young singers. From 1991-2006 Mentzer organized the annual Jubilate benefit concert featuring stars of the opera and dance world to support Chicago's Bonaventure House, a residence for people living with AIDS.
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