Lebanese-American mezzo-soprano Melanie Ashkar is known for the “rich texture” of her voice and her “delightfully expressive” stage presence. She has performed across the United States with companies such as Utah Opera, Utah Symphony, Central City Opera, New York City Opera, Washington Concert Opera, OperaDelaware, the Oratorio Society of Virginia, and the Canton Symphony Orchestra.

Internationally, she has appeared with the Lebanese National Philharmonic Orchestra in Beirut, Lebanon and with Centre d’Art Lyrique de la Méditerranée in Cagnes-sur-Mer, France. This season, she premiered the role of Tiamat in the world premiere of Gilgamesh with Lyric Opera of Orange County, returned to Opera Baltimore to cover Geneviève in Pelléas et Mélisande, and returned to Opera in the Heights to debut as Desirée in A Little Night Music, for which Houston Press wrote, “Give Ashkar the Grammy.”

Other recent performances include her debut with IN Series as Moll in The Cradle Will Rock, a performance The Washington Post called “dazzling,” The Fox in The Little Prince with Opera in the Heights, for which BroadwayWorld commended her “refined grace…blending elegance and emotional nuance into a truly memorable performance,” Olga in Eugene Onegin with Skylark Opera in Minneapolis, MN, and the title role in La Grande Duchesse de Gérolstein with L’Opéra Comique de Washington. Melanie has been recognized by the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Opera Piccola, the Schuyler Foundation for Career Bridges Grant Awards, and the Gerda Lissner Foundation. She holds degrees from the University of Virginia, Georgetown University, and Mannes College.

Artist Website