MELISSA ZGOURIDI
MEZZO-SOPRANO
BIOGRAPHY
Hailed for her “sublime, sparkling bronze singing” (forumopera.com) and “passionate interpretation” (Das Opernglas), Melissa Zgouridi is quickly establishing herself as a dynamic young singer to watch. The American-Brazilian-Chinese mezzo-soprano opens this season at Opéra Comique in Paris, singing the 3rd Weird Sister in Pascal Dusapin’s Macbeth Underworld directed by Thomas Jolly and conducted by Franck Ollu. She will then reprise the role of Prinz Orlofsky in Aron Stiehl’s production of Die Fledermaus with Stadttheater Klagenfurt. Next, Melissa will cover Suzuki in Anthony Minghella’s Madama Butterfly at The Metropolitan Opera. Finally, Melissa will appear as Erda in a new production of Das Rheingold at Theater Dortmund, directed by Peter Konwitschny.
From 2021-2023, Melissa was in the ensemble of the Saarländisches Staatstheater. Her numerous roles with the company included the title role in Carmen, Erda and Floßhilde in Das Rheingold, Ruggiero in Alcina, and Prinz Orlofksy in Die Fledermaus. In 2023, she created the role of Laertes in the world premiere of Sarah Nemtsov’s Ophelia. Melissa appeared with the Saarländisches Staatstheater at the Opéra Royal du Château de Versailles as both Erda and Floßhilde in a concert version of Das Rheingold and at the Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg as the 3rd Weird Sister in Macbeth Underworld. [read more...]
CRITICAL ACCLAIM
“…sublime, sparkling bronze singing…” – Christine Ducq, ForumOpera.com
ERDA (DAS RHEINGOLD) – OPÉRA ROYAL DU CHÂTEAU DE VERSAILLES – “Finally, one can't help but understand Wotan […] yielding to the sublime, sparkling bronze singing of Melissa Zgouridi's Erda, an ideally Wagnerian young mezzo, who passionately binds us to her every word ("I know all that was, all that will be"). Coming from the Urwala and messenger of Eternity, her mysterious warning has the superior accentuations of the great tragediennes of the past.”
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“…a broad, velvety and powerful timbre…” – Axel Driffort, Olyrix.com
FLOSSHILDE & ERDA (DAS RHEINGOLD) – OPÉRA ROYAL DU CHÂTEAU DE VERSAILLES – “Finally, Flosshilde by Melissa Zgouridi – who is also performing Erda this evening – with a broad, velvety and powerful timbre, stands out particularly for the clarity of her vowels as well as the length of her sentences. In [Erda's] scene, the lyricism of her tessitura, as well as the constancy of her projection and the intensity of her vibrato in the treble are particularly noticeable."
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“…when she sings, a sonorous voice pours out & enchants the ear…” – Oliver Schwambach, Saarbrücker Zeitung
ERDA (DAS RHEINGOLD) – SAARLÄNDISCHES STAATSTHEATER – “One must indeed wait for Melissa Zgouridi’s sublime alto, her appearance as Erda, but when she sings, a sonorous voice pours out & enchants the ear. When this earth mother speaks & singes, even Wotan, father of the gods, takes two steps back.”
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"With her passionate interpretation & remarkable technique, she achieved by far the greatest success." – Das Opernglas
Alcina, Saarländisches Staatstheater – "The young mezzo-soprano Melissa Zgouridi, who has been a member of the Saarbrücken ensemble since 2021, shines as Ruggiero, actually a castrato role. The pants role is one of the most beautiful & demanding Handel roles ever. Zgouridi's darkly colored voice has expression, character, substance. With her passionate interpretation & remarkable technique, she achieved by far the greatest success."
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"...an enchantingly beautiful mezzo, strong characterization, warm, full of colors..." – Saarbrücker Zeitung
Alcina, Saarländisches Staatstheater – "And then the voices: In this production, they almost deliver an overabundance of good sound…& then especially Melissa Zgouridi [with] an enchantingly beautiful mezzo, strong characterization, warm, full of colors. If you heard her as Ruggiero, in this trouser role, the possible casting of the part with a countertenor would seem almost absurd."