Kelsey Lauritano
Mezzo-soprano
© Barbara Aumüller
The Japanese-American mezzo-soprano Kelsey Lauritano left the opera studio to join the Ensemble at Oper Frankfurt in 2020/21. During the 2025/26 season roles include Dorabella in a new production of Così fan tutte, Hanna in Weinberg's The (female) Passenger, Suzuki in Madama Butterfly and "Bogus" Boy in Kurt Weill's The Tsar wants his Photograph Taken. Last season she repeated her wonderful portrayals of Lichas in Handel's Hercules and Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro and sang two new roles: Rosmira and Claudia in new productions of Handel's Partenope and Dittersdorf's Doctor and Pharmacist. The previous season she enjoyed great success as Fragoletto in a new Offenbach's The Bandits and sang Emilia again in Rossini's Otello (with 5 tenors!). Roles in earlier seasons included the Landlord's Daughter in Humperdinck's Königskinder, a role she sang at the Tirol Summer Festival in Erl, Dorabella in Così fan tutte, Giovanna in Rigoletto, 2nd Lady and Paolo in new productions of Die Zauberflöte and Mercadante's Francesca da Rimini, a Musician in Manon Lescaut and she enjoyed a triumph with the Fox (role debut) in The Cunning Little Vixen. After making her debut in Germany in Frankfurt as 3rd Dryad in Rusalka she sang Enrichetta di Francia in I puritani and a Spanish woman in Schreker's Elusive Sound (get the CD! - OehmsClassics), Mrs. Nolan in The Medium and in staged performances of Pergolesi's Stabat mater. These were followed by roles in Martinů's Julietta and Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt - an online evening of Tchaikovsky Lieder (get the DVD!) directed by Christof Loy. Born in San Francisco she graduated from the Juillard School in New York with distinction. Whilst still a student she took part in productions including Rameau's Hippolyte et Aricie, Dove's Flight and sang the Child in L’enfant et les sortileges. She also sang Cherubino (role debut) in Le nozze di Figaro at the Music Academy of the West under James Conlon, Venus in Monteverdi's Il ballo delle Ingrate under William Christie and sang at the Boston Early Music and Virginia Arts festivals, the Opera Theatre of St. Louis, in Alice Tully Hall New York and the International Meistersinger Academy. She appeared in concert with the New World Symphony Orchestra, Nürnberg Symphony, at the New York Festival of Song in Lincoln Center and the SongFest in Los Angeles.