Olivia Vote

Lauded for her “theatrical magnetism” and “her big, rich voice,” American mezzo-soprano Olivia Vote joins the roster of the Metropolitan Opera in the 2018-19 season for the first time for productions of Die Walkure and Suor Angelica. She makes multiple house and role debuts throughout the season, beginning with the Inland Northwest Opera as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro, followed by the role of Komponist in Ariadne auf Naxos with Cincinnati Opera. Recent appearances include her debut with The Atlanta Opera as Mary in a new production of The Flying Dutchman, her role debut as Adalgisa in Norma with Opera Southwest, and her company debut with North Carolina Opera as Maddalena in Rigoletto. On the concert stage, she was heard in Rossini’s Stabat Mater with The Choral Arts Society of Washington, D.C. under the baton of Antony Walker, and in Durefle’s Requiem at The Kennedy Center. Other recent debuts include appearing with Sarasota Opera as Mère Marie in the Dialogues des Carmélites and Nicklausse in Les contes d'Hoffmann with Hawaii Opera Theater. 

As a frequent concert artist, Ms. Vote was hailed by the Washington Post for “her big, rich voice that explored the nuances of the poetry.” Olivia has appeared as soloist in such works as Verdi’s Requiem, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, Beethoven’s Mass in C Major, Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen and Das Lied von der Erde, and Ravel’s Sheherazade. She sang Schubert's Mass in E flat with Ivor Bolton and the Rai National Symphony Orchestra in Torino, Italy.

An eager and passionate fan of modern music. Olivia has premiered several new roles and works. With the 21st Century Consort at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., she performed “Colors passing though us”, a chamber work written specifically for her by composer and friend David Froom. While at Opernhaus Zurich she created the role of Mary Hawkins in Frank Schwemmer's Die Schatzinsel and at AVA she sang the world premiere of Margaret Garwood’s The Scarlet Letter as Hester Prynne.

In competition Ms. Vote has been a grand finalist in the Francesco Vinas Competition in Barcelona. She won second place in the Loren L. Zachary Society Competition, Alfredo Silipigni International Vocal Competition, and Gerda Lisner Foundation International Competition. She is a grant winner from the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation, has been a New England and Mid Atlantic regional finalist and study grant recipient in the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions, was awarded a Sullivan Foundation Development Grant, and the Phyllis Curtin Career Award from Yale University.