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Susan Graham is an award-winning American mezzo-soprano who has performed on the world's major opera stages. Her operatic roles span four centuries, from Monteverdi's Poppea to Sister Helen Prejean in Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking, which was written specifically for her. Graham is a noted champion of the French song repertoire and has been recognized as one of the foremost exponents of French vocal music. She was born in Roswell, New Mexico, and raised in Texas, but her religious background is unclear. While she may be of Irish Catholic heritage, there is no definitive evidence to confirm this.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Susan Graham |
| Birthplace | Roswell, New Mexico |
| Raised in | Midland, Texas |
| Education | Texas Tech University, Manhattan School of Music |
| Teachers | Cynthia Hoffmann, Marlena Malas |
| Awards | Schwabacher Award, Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur, Grammy Award, Musical America's Vocalist of the Year, Opera News Award, Performance Today "Critic's Choice" Award, Caecilia Prize, Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik critic's award, Choc du Monde de la Musique, Opera International's Timbre de Platine |
| Notable Performances | Hansel and Gretel, Les nuits d'été, La mort de Cléopâtre, Trouble in Tahiti, Regina, Dead Man Walking, A Little Night Music, La Belle Époque, Béatrice et Bénédict, An American Tragedy, Three Decembers |
| Notable Venues | Metropolitan Opera, Théâtre du Châtelet, Santa Fe Opera, Hollywood Bowl, Paris Opera, La Scala, Bavarian State Opera, Vienna State Opera, Covent Garden, San Francisco Opera, Washington National Opera, Carnegie Hall |
| Repertoire | French vocal music, French song repertoire, contemporary American composers |
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What You'll Learn
Susan Graham's career highlights
Susan Graham is an American mezzo-soprano who has risen to the highest echelon of international performers. Her operatic roles span four centuries, from Monteverdi's Poppea to Sister Helen Prejean in Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking, which was written expressly for her. Graham's operatic career began with trouser roles, such as Cherubino in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro. Her mastery of Mozart's more virtuosic roles soon followed, including Sesto in La clemenza di Tito and Idamante in Idomeneo. She also took on the title roles of Handel's Ariodante and Xerxes.
Graham's career highlights include her performances at New York's Metropolitan Opera and other key venues such as Paris's Théâtre du Châtelet, Santa Fe Opera, and the Hollywood Bowl. She has also performed at the Sydney Symphony, the Manhattan School of Music's Centennial Gala Concert, and the New Zealand Symphony. Graham has sung at several notable events, including George W. Bush's second inauguration in 2005 and the nationally televised funeral mass for Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts in 2009.
Graham has received numerous accolades for her work, including a Grammy Award for Best Classical Vocal Performance in 2004 for her album Ives: Songs. She has also been recognised as one of the foremost exponents of French vocal music and was awarded the French government's prestigious "Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur" for her popularity as a performer in France and her commitment to French music. Graham has also released several acclaimed solo albums, including "Virgins, Vixens & Viragos" and "La Belle Époque", which won the Caecilia Prize and Opera International's Timbre de Platine award.
Graham's other notable performances include her role debut as Humperdinck's Witch in Hansel and Gretel at LA Opera, her title role debut in Marc Blitzstein's 1948 opera Regina at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and her performance as the convict's mother in Washington National Opera's revival of Dead Man Walking. She has also premiered several roles in contemporary operas, including John Harbison's The Great Gatsby and Tobias Picker's An American Tragedy.
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Awards and recognition
Susan Graham is a Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano opera singer, hailed as "America's favourite mezzo" by Gramophone magazine. She won her Grammy in 2004 for Best Classical Vocal Performance, for her album Ives: Songs (The Things Our Fathers Loved; The Housatonic At Stockbridge, Etc.). She also won a Grammy in 2005 for Best Classical Vocal Performance for her collection of Ives songs. She has also been recognised as one of the foremost exponents of French vocal music.
Graham was awarded the French government’s prestigious “Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur” for her popularity as a performer in France and her commitment to French music. She has also won Musical America’s Vocalist of the Year and an Opera News Award.
Her other awards include the Performance Today "Critic's Choice" Award, the 1999 Caecilia Prize, Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik critic's award, Choc du Monde de la Musique, Opera International's Timbre de Platine, and Best Recital Disc in 2001 (The Gramophone), the German Echo Klassik award, Prix Gabriel Fauré and the Grand Prix (Académie du disque).
Graham made her international debut at Covent Garden in 1994, playing Massenet's Chérubin. She was a winner in the Metropolitan Opera's National Council Auditions and also received the Schwabacher Award from the Merola Program of San Francisco Opera.
She sang "Bless This House" at George W. Bush's second inauguration in 2005 and Schubert's "Ave Maria" at the nationally televised funeral mass for Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts in 2009.
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Her association with French music
Susan Graham is a Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano opera singer from Texas, USA. She has been recognised as one of the foremost exponents of French vocal music and was awarded the French government's prestigious "Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur" for her popularity as a performer in France and her commitment to French music. Graham's association with French music is evident throughout her career, from her early performances to her more recent recordings and awards.
Graham made her international debut at Covent Garden in 1994, playing Massenet's Chérubin, a French opera. She has since performed in several French operas, including Berlioz's Béatrice et Bénédict, in which she played Béatrice, and Roméo et Juliette by Charles Gounod, in which she played Juliette. Graham has also performed in French-language productions, such as the Lyon Opera's production of Werther by Massenet, in which she played Charlotte.
Graham has also released several recordings of French songs, including "Un Frisson Français: A Century of French Song", which features songs by composers such as Georges Bizet, César Franck, Édouard Lalo, and Claude Debussy. She has also recorded albums of French operetta rarities, such as "C'est ça la vie, c'est ça l'amour!" and "La Belle Époque", an award-winning collection of songs by Reynaldo Hahn.
Graham's fluency in French has been noted in reviews of her performances. In a review of her recital at the Kennedy Center, the Washington Post mentioned her "lissome French" and how she sang a "fine program" that included works from her French repertoire. Her German, on the other hand, has been described as not as natural as her French, as noted in her performance of Schumann's "Frauenliebe und lieben".
In addition to her performances and recordings, Graham has been recognised for her contribution to French music through awards and honours. In addition to the "Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur", she has also received the Performance Today "Critic's Choice" Award, the Caecilia Prize, and the Choc du Monde de la Musique award for her album "La Belle Époque".
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Susan Graham's early life and education
Susan Graham, the opera singer, was born in Roswell, New Mexico, on July 23, 1960, and raised in Midland, Texas. She studied piano for 13 years and was part of her school and church choirs. At the age of 15, she discovered her vocal talent and began to pursue voice studies. She took on a lead role in a high school production of The Sound of Music, which sparked her interest in acting, and she subsequently enrolled in the Manhattan School of Music.
Graham made her operatic debut in 1988 with the role of Vanessa. She has since performed in numerous operas, including The Magic Flute, Hansel and Gretel, The Marriage of Figaro, La Damnation de Faust, Indomeneo, and Der Rosenkavalier. She has also premiered several roles in contemporary operas, such as John Harbison's The Great Gatsby, Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking, and Tobias Picker's An American Tragedy.
Graham is a graduate of Texas Tech University and the Manhattan School of Music. Her teachers included Cynthia Hoffmann and Marlena Malas. She was a winner of the Metropolitan Opera's National Council Auditions and received the Schwabacher Award from the Merola Program of the San Francisco Opera. Graham made her international debut at Covent Garden in 1994, playing Massenet's Chérubin.
Graham's early operatic successes were in trouser roles, such as Cherubino in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro. She quickly mastered more challenging roles, including Sesto in La clemenza di Tito and Idamante in Idomeneo. Her performances brought her to prominence on the world's major opera stages, including the Met, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, and Covent Garden, among others.
In addition to her operatic career, Graham has also performed at notable events. She sang "Bless This House" at George W. Bush's second inauguration in 2005 and Schubert's "Ave Maria" at the nationally televised funeral mass for Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts in 2009.
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Her international debut
In 1988, Susan Graham made her international debut as Dorabella in Mozart's "Così fan tutte" at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in France. This opportunity marked a significant milestone in her career, introducing her exceptional talent to a global audience and cementing her presence on the international opera stage. This prestigious festival, known for showcasing innovative opera productions, provided the perfect platform for Graham to showcase her artistic prowess. Her performance as Dorabella, one of the sisters at the center of Mozart's complex comedy, allowed her to display her vocal agility and dramatic skills, which were already garnering attention in the US.
The following year, in 1989, Graham returned to Europe, this time to the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, Italy. Here, she portrayed the role of Pippo in Rossini's "La gazza ladra" ("The Thieving Magpie"). This festival, dedicated to celebrating the works of composer Gioachino Rossini, offered Graham another chance to shine on the international stage. Her performance as Pippo, a trouser role (a young male character sung by a mezzo-soprano), showcased her vocal dexterity and comedic timing. This appearance further solidified her reputation as a rising star in the opera world, particularly in the realm of Rossini interpretation.
These initial forays into the international arena paved the way for a string of successful debuts at some of the world's most prestigious opera houses. In 1994, she made her debut at the Royal Opera House in London, again taking on the role of Dorabella. The same year, she debuted at La Scala in Milan, Italy, as Angelina in Rossini's "La Cenerentola," a role that would become one of her signatures. Her La Scala debut was particularly noteworthy, as she stepped in as a last-minute replacement, showcasing her ability to deliver exceptional performances under pressure.
The year 1996 saw Graham's debut at the Paris Opera as Octavian in Strauss's "Der Rosenkavalier," a role that highlighted her versatility and range. She also returned to the Royal Opera House to perform the role of Charlotte in Massenet's "Werther," a French opera that would become closely associated with her, and which she would later perform at the Metropolitan Opera in 2004. These debuts firmly established Graham as an international opera star, sought after by the most renowned opera companies and festivals.
Graham's international career also included appearances at other notable opera houses and festivals. She performed at the Salzburg Festival in Austria, the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels, and the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, among others. Her repertoire expanded to include roles such as Rosina in Rossini's "Il barbiere di Siviglia," the Composer in Strauss's "Ariadne auf Naxos," and the title role in Bizet's "Carmen." Each new role and appearance further cemented her reputation as one of the leading mezzo-sopranos of her generation.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Susan Graham is a native of Texas, born in Roswell, New Mexico, and raised in Midland, Texas.
Susan Graham sang Schubert's "Ave Maria" at the nationally televised funeral mass for Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts in 2009. While this may suggest she is Catholic, it is unclear if she personally adheres to the Catholic religion.
Yes, Susan Graham is an opera singer who has performed on major international stages, including New York's Metropolitan Opera, Paris's Théâtre du Châtelet, Santa Fe Opera, and the Hollywood Bowl. She is particularly noted for her association with French repertory and has received the French government's prestigious "Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur" for her popularity as a performer in France and her commitment to French music.
