| Melanie Long |
| Soprano |
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| Melanie’s most recent triumph was
with Des Moines Metro Opera in the role of Oscar, Un Ballo in
Maschera. Miss Long has also been favored for her performances as
the young bird-woman bride of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte.
Hailed as “…a dream of a Papgena,” she made her professional debut in
the role with Des Moines Metro Opera in 2006, and then returned to her
faithful feathers a year later in the good company (pardon the pun) of
Opera New Jersey. “Melanie Long’s buoyant Papagena was
delightful,” wrote Mark Thomas Ketterson, Opera News magazine, of her
Des Moines performance. Others have deemed her achievement in the
role as “charming,” “lively,” and “ably sung.” Miss Long completed her master’s degree at the Manhattan School of Music where she took stage as Alma Way in the opera studio’s production of Stephen Paulus’ The Village Singer. Other credits at the Manhattan School include First Spirit in their spring 2006 production of Cendrillon, and an energetic run as Boboolie Araboolie in the Spring 2007 educational outreach tour of The Araboolies of Liberty Street. Her undergraduate studies were completed at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa. While a student at Simpson she performed several roles under the direction of Dr. Robert L. Larsen including Masha in The Seagull, Valencienne in The Merry Widow, Papagena in The Magic Flute, and Barbarina in The Marriage of Figaro. As Valencienne she was praised for her “clear, natural voice…” by campus critic Kate Paulman, who also remarked that “Long plays the perfect approach-avoidance lover…” Miss Long currently resides in New York City and is a native of Des Moines, Iowa. Ms. Long is a winner of the Mario Lanza Competition for Sopranos in New York City and is a frequent performer for events in Little Italy. This December she will perform in a concert in the Donnell Series at the Lincoln center Library. 10/15/08 |