About this Artist

Following recent performances of Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, the Washington Post hailed soprano MAUREEN MCKAY (Papagena) as the "undisputed star of the show," and further exclaimed, "Armed with a silvery, precisely aimed voice, natural stage presence and the kind of beautifully detailed acting you don't see often enough on the operatic stage, McKay turned in a smart, sexy and thoroughly charming performance." This performance of Die Zauberflöte marks her debut at the Hollywood Bowl. Another highlight of the summer is her performance of Carmina Burana with the Seattle Symphony. In the 2007/08 season, she sings Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel with Opera Company of Philadelphia, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte with Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Lightfoot McClendon in Cold Sassy Tree with Atlanta Opera, Lilla in Una cosa rara with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Norina in Don Pasquale with Anchorage Opera, and Caroline Gaines in Richard Danielpour's Margaret Garner in a return to New York City Opera.

In the 2006/07 season, she made her debut with New York City Opera as Despina in Così fan tutte and returned to Seattle's Music of Remembrance for Simon Sargon's song cycle, Shema. McKay recently completed her second year in Seattle Opera's Young Artists Program where she was seen as Flora in Britten's The Turn of the Screw and Susanna in the Program's production of Le nozze di Figaro. During the past two summers as a Filene Young Artist with Wolf Trap Opera Company, McKay was seen in the roles of Johanna in Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd, Ismene in Telemann's Orpheus, Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, and appeared with the National Symphony Orchestra in Carmina Burana.

Equally active on the concert stage, in the 2005/06 season she also sang the soprano soloist role in Grieg's Peer Gynt with the Oregon Symphony, premiered Lori Laitman's song cycle I Never Saw Another Butterfly for soprano and clarinet with Music of Remembrance, and sang Louis Andriessen's The New Math(s) with the Seattle Chamber Players. Also with Music of Remembrance, she sang Aninku in Tony Kushner's adaptation of Hans Krasa's Brundibár; a recording including both Brundibár and Laitman's song cycle is available on the Naxos label.

Maureen McKay earned her Bachelor of Music at Columbus State University in Georgia (summa cum laude) and her Master of Music at Ohio State University.

06/07