ABOUT
Mezzo-soprano Mary Beth Nelson has been praised for singing with “virtuosic abandon...joyous flair and assured beauty of tone” (Opera Today) at The Glimmerglass Festival, where she sang the role of Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Derrick Wang’s comedic opera Scalia/Ginsburg. Following her success as the operatic Supreme Court Justice, she was invited to Washington D.C. to perform in the winter Judicial Congressional Dialogue, as well as the Bipartisan Chiefs of Staff Initiative, where she sang for members of the Senate, House Legislation and their staff, and both the Supreme Court and Federal Court judiciary.
Before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Ms. Nelson was scheduled to debut with Opera Delaware as Nicklausse in Les contes d’Hoffmann and Speed Dating Tonight. In recent seasons, Ms. Nelson debuted with Painted Sky Opera as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Bronx Opera as the Secretary in Menotti’s The Consul, and Opera Las Vegas in Rossini’s La cenerentola.
Ms. Nelson trained at The Glimmerglass Festival as a young artist for two seasons preceding her residency in the Florida Grand Opera Studio. In November 2017, she made her house debut as Alisa in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, where she was commended for her “ample voice and dark foreboding” by South Florida Classical Review. During her time in Florida, she performed Schumann’s Frauenliebe und leben in FGO’s SongFest series in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale and covered Anthony Roth Costanzo in Orfeo ed Euridice.
Ms. Nelson was a resident artist for two seasons (2015–2017) with Tri-Cities Opera, where she made her guest artist debut as Isabella in L’italiana in Algeri, followed by Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Dinah in Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti, Flora in La traviata, Hansel in Hansel and Gretel, Concepción in Ravel’s L’heure espagnole, and the mezzo-soprano in Glass’ Hydrogen Jukebox.
Ms. Nelson is a finalist and encouragement award winner in the Loren L. Zachary National Vocal Competition (2021), a prize winner and audience choice favorite in the Rochester International Vocal Competition (2020), an encouragement award winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (2020, 2014), 1st Place winner and people's choice award in the 16th Annual International Crescendo Music Awards, a finalist and top audience choice award winner in the 9th Annual Lois Alba Aria Competition, a recipient of a Jensen Foundation honorarium (2020), an international semifinalist in the Houston Grand Opera Eleanor McCollum Competition (2019), and a Career Bridges grant winner in New York City.
She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Oklahoma City University, and this fall she will study at Lincoln Center for her Master of Music degree in Vocal Arts at The Juilliard School. She is a native of Orange County, California.
Before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Ms. Nelson was scheduled to debut with Opera Delaware as Nicklausse in Les contes d’Hoffmann and Speed Dating Tonight. In recent seasons, Ms. Nelson debuted with Painted Sky Opera as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Bronx Opera as the Secretary in Menotti’s The Consul, and Opera Las Vegas in Rossini’s La cenerentola.
Ms. Nelson trained at The Glimmerglass Festival as a young artist for two seasons preceding her residency in the Florida Grand Opera Studio. In November 2017, she made her house debut as Alisa in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, where she was commended for her “ample voice and dark foreboding” by South Florida Classical Review. During her time in Florida, she performed Schumann’s Frauenliebe und leben in FGO’s SongFest series in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale and covered Anthony Roth Costanzo in Orfeo ed Euridice.
Ms. Nelson was a resident artist for two seasons (2015–2017) with Tri-Cities Opera, where she made her guest artist debut as Isabella in L’italiana in Algeri, followed by Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Dinah in Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti, Flora in La traviata, Hansel in Hansel and Gretel, Concepción in Ravel’s L’heure espagnole, and the mezzo-soprano in Glass’ Hydrogen Jukebox.
Ms. Nelson is a finalist and encouragement award winner in the Loren L. Zachary National Vocal Competition (2021), a prize winner and audience choice favorite in the Rochester International Vocal Competition (2020), an encouragement award winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (2020, 2014), 1st Place winner and people's choice award in the 16th Annual International Crescendo Music Awards, a finalist and top audience choice award winner in the 9th Annual Lois Alba Aria Competition, a recipient of a Jensen Foundation honorarium (2020), an international semifinalist in the Houston Grand Opera Eleanor McCollum Competition (2019), and a Career Bridges grant winner in New York City.
She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Oklahoma City University, and this fall she will study at Lincoln Center for her Master of Music degree in Vocal Arts at The Juilliard School. She is a native of Orange County, California.
Updated May 2021