Amanda Majeski
Vocalists
— Soprano
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Manager: Damon Bristo
Management Territory: Worldwide
“Ryan Center alum Amanda Majeski brought a bright, strong soprano to the role of Eva. Tall and slim, she was an elegant young lover, but also a warm-hearted daughter and friend.” —Wynne Delacoma, Chicago Sun-Times, February 11, 2013 - Eva in 'Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg' at the Lyric Opera of Chicago
“…the Goosegirl, sung with naiveté and warm fervor by the high, angel-voiced soprano Amanda Majeski, is the most musically convincing performance this first night has to offer.” —Eleonore Buening, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, October 2, 2012 - The Goosegirl in 'Königskinder' at Oper Frankfurt
“The other big success was American soprano Amanda Majeski. Vitellia is a very difficult role—with an impossible tessitura, highly demanding at both ends of the range. Amanda Majeski excelled in it from start to finish. Her soprano is attractive, smooth, and with a great extension which allows her to meet the immense demands of the character. And apart from being a remarkable singer, she is also a first-rate performer.” —José Mª Irurzun, Seen and Heard International, March 7, 2012 - Vitellia in 'La clemenza di Tito' at Teatro Real in Madrid
About
American lyric soprano Amanda Majeski is rapidly garnering critical acclaim for the “silvery beauty” (Musical America) of her voice coupled with “refined power, effortless dynamic control and warm tonal color.” (San Francisco Chronicle)
In the 2012 - 2013 season, Amanda Majeski debuts at Oper Frankfurt in a new production of Humperdinck’s 'Königskinder' as the Goose-Girl, a role originated by celebrated soprano Geraldine Farrar. She also returns to the Lyric Opera of Chicago in her role debut as Eva in 'Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg' under Andrew Davis, as well as making . . . her debut at the Glyndebourne Festival as Countess Almaviva in Michael Grandage’s production of 'Le nozze di Figaro'. Future seasons will see Ms. Majeski at the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, Salzburg Easter Festival with Christian Thielemann, Semperoper Dresden, Oper Frankfurt, Opernhaus Zurich, Glyndebourne Festival, Teatro Real in Madrid, and Opera Company of Philadelphia.
The 2011 – 2012 season saw Ms. Majeski as a featured member of the ensemble at the Semperoper Dresden. Her performances in Dresden included the sorceress Alcina in a new production of Handel’s 'Alcina', Countess Madeleine in Richard Strauss’s 'Capriccio', Countess Almaviva in Mozart’s 'Le nozze di Figaro' and Vitellia in a new production of 'La clemenza di Tito'. She also made her debut at Teatro Real in Madrid as Vitellia in the much-acclaimed Karl-Ernst and Ursell Herrmann production of 'La clemenza di Tito' to great acclaim and returned to Chicago for her first performances of Bach’s Magnificat under Sir Gilbert Levine.
Ms. Majeski continued as a member of the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Ryan Opera Center in the 2010 – 2011 season where she sang student performances of Micaela in 'Carmen'. She also covered Helena in 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream' and Iole in 'Hercules' directed by Peter Sellars. She made her debut at Santa Fe Opera in Vivaldi’s 'Griselda' as Ottone in a production by Peter Sellars and debuted at Pittsburgh Opera as Blanche de la Force in Poulenc’s 'Dialogues des Carmélites'.
Ms. Majeski joined the Ryan Opera Center for the 2009 – 2010 season in which she made her role debut as the Countess Almaviva in 'Le nozze di Figaro' with Sir Andrew Davis in which Chicago Magazine hailed “Majeski owned the stage.” In addition, she also covered Marguerite in 'Faust' and was a featured soloist in the “Stars of the Lyric Opera of Chicago” gala concert in Millennium Park performing both trios from 'Les contes d’Hoffmann' and 'Faust'. Ms. Majeski also sang Marguerite in 'Faust' with Washington Concert Opera under the baton of Antony Walker and was a featured soloist in the Marilyn Horne Foundation’s Annual Recital in January 2010 at Carnegie Hall. In the spring, she returned to the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis as the Countess in 'The Marriage of Figaro'. Ms. Majeski received acclaim from both critics and audiences alike as Vitellia in Mozart’s 'La clemenza di Tito' with the Chicago Opera Theater in a production directed by Christopher Alden. The Chicago Tribune called her performance a “genuine tour de force that brought down the house” while Opera News praised her “gleaming soprano displaying fluent coloratura and an ample chest register that was used to hair-raising effect in the treacherous octave drop of ‘Non più di fiori’.”
Recently, Ms. Majeski has been heard in concert singing Agathe’s arias from 'Der Freischütz' with conductor Erik Nielsen and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the training orchestra affiliated with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and soprano soloist in Mahler’s 4th Symphony with the Quad City Symphony. Other concert performances include Handel’s 'Solomon' and 'Messiah' with Apollo Chorus of Chicago, Dvorak’s 'Te Deum' with Elmhurst Symphony, and Mahler’s 4th Symphony with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center. An active member on the roster of the Marilyn Horne Foundation, she made her New York City recital debut at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall in 2008.
Ms. Majeski completed her graduate degree at the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music where she was heard as Donna Anna ('Don Giovanni'), Magda ('La rondine'), Nuria ('Ainadamar'), the title role of Tchaikovsky’s 'Iolanta', and the soprano role in Poulenc’s 'La voix humaine'. Ms. Majeski was a member of San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program in the summer of 2008 where she sang Donna Anna in 'Don Giovanni'. She has also been a member of the Gerdine Young Artist Program at Opera Theatre of St. Louis and the Steans Institute at Ravinia.
Ms. Majeski’s recent concert performances include Handel’s 'Solomon' and 'Messiah' with Apollo Chorus of Chicago, Dvorak’s 'Te Deum' with Elmhurst Symphony, and Mahler’s 4th Symphony with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center. An active member on the roster of the Marilyn Horne Foundation, she made her New York City recital debut at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall in 2008.
Ms. Majeski is a 2009 George London Foundation award winner, the first prizewinner of the 2008 Palm Beach Opera Vocal Competition Junior Division, and a recipient of a Sara Tucker Study Grant from the Richard Tucker Foundation in 2007. She has also received awards from Opera Theatre of St. Louis, the Bel Canto Foundation of Rhode Island, the Bel Canto Foundation of Chicago and Opera Index.
(Updated October 2012)
