Susan Graham

Susan Graham is an American mezzo-soprano known for her versatile repertory spanning Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and contemporary opera and song. She has performed leading roles at major opera houses and concert halls and made numerous acclaimed recordings with prominent conductors, orchestras, and record labels. Graham's career includes collaborations with composers, directors, and institutions that have shaped late 20th- and early 21st-century vocal performance.

Early life and education

Graham was born in Roswell, New Mexico, and raised near Lubbock, Texas where early music exposure included performances and local ensembles such as youth choruses and regional opera programs that inspired her pursuit of vocal study with teachers in Texas Tech University and later conservatory training. She studied at the University of Oklahoma and completed graduate work at the Juilliard School in New York City, where she worked with vocal pedagogues and coaches affiliated with institutions such as the Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artists Program and participated in masterclasses linked to artists from the Vienna Philharmonic and the New York Philharmonic.

Career

Graham made professional debuts in concert and opera stages in the late 1980s and early 1990s, appearing at venues including the Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Opéra National de Paris, and the Glyndebourne Festival Opera. She collaborated with conductors such as James Levine, Sir Colin Davis, Riccardo Muti, Daniel Barenboim, and Seiji Ozawa, and with directors and stage designers from institutions like the Santa Fe Opera and the Salzburg Festival. Her concert work placed her with ensembles including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic, and the New York Philharmonic, performing repertory from Monteverdi to contemporary composers commissioned by organizations such as the Lincoln Center and the Tanglewood Music Center.

Repertoire and recordings

Graham's operatic repertoire encompasses trouser roles, mezzo-soprano leads, and dramatic character parts in works by composers such as Claudio Monteverdi, Georg Friedrich Händel, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Hector Berlioz, Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, and Richard Strauss. Signature roles include parts in Berlioz's Les Troyens, Handel operas staged at the Baroque opera revival movement, and title or pivotal roles in Mozart works presented at festivals like Glyndebourne. Her discography features studio and live recordings on labels including Deutsche Grammophon, Warner Classics, and Erato Records, covering song cycles, opera excerpts, and contemporary commissions by composers such as Osvaldo Golijov and John Corigliano. Notable recordings include complete operas, recital albums of French mélodie and American art song, and collaborations on oratorios and mass settings with ensembles like the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.

Awards and honors

Graham's achievements have been recognized with awards and honors from institutions including the Grammy Awards, national arts bodies like the National Endowment for the Arts, and cultural orders or decorations bestowed by governments or music societies allied with organizations such as the Royal Philharmonic Society and European opera houses. She has received honorary degrees from universities with strong music schools, fellowships linked to arts foundations, and prizes awarded by festivals such as Salzburg Festival and competitions associated with conservatories like the Juilliard School.

Personal life and philanthropic work

Graham maintains residences linked to her international career and has been involved with charitable activities supporting music education, opera outreach, and arts advocacy through foundations and boards connected to institutions such as the Carnegie Hall Weill Music Institute, regional conservatories, and hospital music programs. Her philanthropic work includes support for young artist programs, scholarships at schools like the Curtis Institute of Music and partnerships with nonprofit presenters including Opera America and community music initiatives.

Category:American mezzo-sopranos Category:1960 births Category:Living people