Deanne Meek
{{short description|American operatic mezzo-soprano}}
Deanne Meek is an American operatic mezzo-soprano who has had an active international career since the mid 1990s. She has performed at several major opera houses around the world, including La Scala and the Metropolitan Opera.
Life and career
Raised in Richland, Washington, Meek earned a B.A. from Whitman College in 1983 before pursuing vocal studies at the Peabody Institute of Music (Bachelor of Music, 1988) where she was a pupil of renowned mezzo-soprano Elaine Bonazzi.{{cite web|url=http://sb.cc.stonybrook.edu/happenings/facultystaff/elaine-bonazzi-recital/|title=Recital to Honor Acclaimed Mezzo-Soprano Elaine Bonazzi|date=May 2, 2012|work=Stonybrook University Happenings|access-date=April 27, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150609034913/http://sb.cc.stonybrook.edu/happenings/facultystaff/elaine-bonazzi-recital/|archive-date=June 9, 2015|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|url=http://www.mocavo.com/John-Hopkins-University-Commencement-1988-Volume-1981-1990/949814/40|title=Johns Hopkins University Commencement 1988|work=mocavo.com|accessdate=April 27, 2015}}
In 1996 Meek made her professional opera debut at the New York City Opera (NYCO) as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly. She returned there the following year to sing both Diana in Gluck's Iphigenie en Tauride{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/06/arts/opera-review-the-heroes-may-be-in-love-but-it-s-the-staging-that-s-peculiar.html|title=Opera Review: The Heroes May Be in Love, but It's the Staging That's Peculiar|author=Allan Kozinn|author-link=Allan Kozinn|date=October 6, 1997|work=The New York Times}} and Zerlina in Don Giovanni.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/04/04/arts/the-appeal-of-modest-durability.html|title=The Appeal Of Modest Durability|work=The New York Times|date= April 4, 1997|author=Allan Kozinn|author-link=Allan Kozinn}} She appeared at the NYCO again in 1998 to portray Harriet Mosher in Tobias Picker's Emmeline.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/02/arts/opera-review-exploring-the-heart-of-lyrical-americana.html|title=Opera Review: Exploring The Heart Of Lyrical Americana|author=Bernard Holland|author-link=Bernard Holland|work=The New York Times|date=2 April 1998 }} In the Spring of 1998 she portrayed Karolka in Jenůfa at the Spoleto Festival USA.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xe1LAAAAYAAJ&q=%22Deanne+Meek%22|title=Spoletto Festival 1998 program|publisher=Spoletto Festival|year=1998|page=34}} In 1999 she portrayed Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/06/18/movies/opera-review-pearl-fishers-figaro-and-othello-in-st-louis.html|title=Opera Review: Pearl Fishers, Figaro and Othello in St. Louis|author=Allan Kozinn|author-link=Allan Kozinn|date=June 18, 1999|work=The New York Times}} She returned to Saint Louis the following year as Zenobia in Handel's Radamisto.{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2000/06/25/spirit-in-st-louis/|title=Spirit in St. Louis: Opera Theatre's 25th Season Merges the Old, New and Different|date=June 25, 2000|author=John von Rhein|work=Chicago Tribune}}
In 2001 Meek made her debut at Opera Pacific as Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier,{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-apr-03-me-46152-story.html|title=Lyrical Longings: Strauss' 'Der Rosenkavalier' Ponders Love, Aging and the Class System in Musically Challenging Comedy|date=April 3, 2001|author=Chris Pasles|work=Los Angeles Times}} her debut at the Metropolitan Opera as one of the Cretan women in Idomeneo, and returned to the Spoletto Festival as Dido in Dido and Aeneas.{{cite news|url=http://www.sptimes.com/News/060501/Floridian/Speaking_of_symbols.shtml|title=Speaking of symbols|author=John Fleming|work=Tampa Bay Times|date=June 5, 2001}} Later that year she appeared as Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly at the Met. She has since returned to the Met as the Second Sprite in Rusalka (2004) and the Second Esquire in Parsifal (2006).{{cite web|url=http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/gisrch2k.r?Term=Meek,%20Deanne%20%5BMezzo%20Soprano%5D&limit=500&vsrchtype=no&xBranch=ALL&xmtype=&Start=&End=&theterm=Meek,%20Deanne%20%5BMezzo%20Soprano%5D&srt=&x=0&xHome=&xHomePath=|title=Deanne Meek|work=Metropolitan Opera Archives|accessdate=April 26, 2015}}
In 2003 Meek made her debut at the English National Opera as Ruggiero in Alcina.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/opera/3592920/An-overdose-of-excess.html|title=An overdose of excess|author=Rupert Christiansen|author-link=Rupert Christiansen|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=April 18, 2013}} In 2004 she returned to Opera North as Rosina in The Barber of Seville,{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o_rYBQAAQBAJ&dq=%22Deanne+Meek%22&pg=PA416|title=Opera North: Historical and Dramaturgical Perspectives on Opera Studies|author=Kara McKechnie|publisher=Emerald Group Publishing|year=2014|page=416|isbn=9781783505029}} and appeared at the Grange Park Opera as Angelina in La Cenerentola.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/opera/3619040/Bodice-ripping-in-the-brothel.html|title=Bodice-ripping in the brothel|work=The Daily Telegraph|author=Rupert Christiansen|author-link=Rupert Christiansen|date=June 16, 2004}} In 2005 she made her debut at the Opéra national du Rhin as Dorabella in Così fan tutte.{{cite news|url=http://www.arte.tv/fr/france/411132,CmC=513574.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150501005508/http://www.arte.tv/fr/france/411132,CmC=513574.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 1, 2015 |title=France |date=October 11, 2005 |work=arte.tc }} In 2006 she portrayed Ines in Il trovatore at the Bregenzer Festspiele,{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nOPaXqC0Y2oC&dq=%22Deanne+Meek%22&pg=PA121|page=122|title=Performing the Local and the Global: The Theatre Festivals of Lake Constance|author=Jane Wilkinson|publisher=Peter Lang|year=2007|isbn=9783039110476}} and the Composer in Ariadne auf Naxos at Tulsa Opera.{{cite journal|url=http://www.operanews.com/Opera_News_Magazine/2006/5/Review/TULSA_%E2%80%93%C2%A0Ariadne_auf_Naxos,_Tulsa_Opera,_2/25/06.html|title=In Review: Ariadne auf Naxos|journal=Opera News|date=May 2006|volume=70|number=11}}
In 2007 Meek created the role of Ma Joad in the world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon's The Grapes of Wrath at the Minnesota Opera.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y8bQAwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Deanne+Meek%22&pg=PA205|title=Operas in English: A Dictionary|author=Margaret Ross Griffel|author-link=Margaret Ross Griffel|publisher=Scarecrow Press|year=2012|page=205|isbn=9780810883253}} That same year she appeared as Bianca in Alexander von Zemlinsky's Eine florentinische Tragödie at the Bard Music Festival with conductor Leon Botstein and the American Symphony Orchestra.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/30/arts/music/30bard.html|title=A Double Bill of Viennese Romanticism|author=Vivien Schweitzer|work=The New York Times|date=July 30, 2007}} In 2008 she performed the role of Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni with the Utah Opera.{{cite news|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/695275563/Masks-integral-to-Giovanni.html?pg=all|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140712033901/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/695275563/Masks-integral-to-Giovanni.html?pg=all|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 12, 2014|title=Masks integral to 'Giovanni'|author=Edward Reichel|work=Deseret News|date= May 4, 2008}}
In January 2009 Meek portrayed the title role in Marc Blitzstein's Regina at the Utah Opera.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hQK-PeiCH4AC&dq=%22Deanne+Meek%22&pg=PA346|title=Marc Blitzstein: His Life, His Work, His World|author=Howard Pollack|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2012|page=346|isbn=978-0-19-979159-0}} The following June she made her debut at La Scala in Milan as Hermia in Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GNAfnygDG_QC&dq=%22Deanne+Meek%22&pg=PA140|title=Opera 2009. Annuario dell'opera lirica in Italia|editor=Georgio Pugliaro|year=2009|publisher=EDT|isbn=9788860404978}} Later that year she performed the role of Guilhen in Vincent d'Indy's Fervaal at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/16/arts/music/16fervaal.html|title=A Journey of Religion and Love|author=Anthony Tommasini|author-link=Anthony Tommasini|date=October 15, 2009|work=The New York Times}} In 2010 she sang Bianca again for her debut at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires.
In 2011 Meek portrayed Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. In 2013 she sang in the world premiere of Sheila Silver's song cycle Beauty Intolerable alongside soprano Lauren Flanigan in New York.{{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B6OVAwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Deanne+Meek%22&pg=PT91|title=The Art of Singing: The Science Of Emotions|author=Mihaela Buhaiciuc|publisher=Trafford Publishing|year=2014|isbn=9781490716671}} In 2014 she sang the title role in Handel's Giulio Cesare at the Florentine Opera.{{cite news|url=http://www.wisconsingazette.com/on-stage/florentine-follows-baroque-casting-in-julius-caesar.html |title=Florentine follows Baroque casting in 'Julius Caesar' |author=Michael Muckian |work=Wisconsin Gazette |date=21 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150401092610/http://wisconsingazette.com/on-stage/florentine-follows-baroque-casting-in-julius-caesar.html |archivedate=2015-04-01 }}
References
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Category:American operatic mezzo-sopranos
Category:Peabody Institute alumni
Category:People from Richland, Washington
Category:Whitman College alumni
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:Singers from Washington (state)