About Elizabeth
“DeShong was an unstoppable presence. Others have gone all out with the acting, both comic and plaintive, but DeShong combined it with one of the finest new voices to be heard at the Met…”
Mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong has developed a reputation as “one of the most intelligent stage performers of her generation (Opera News).” Lauded equally for her musicianship and commanding stage presence, she has established herself as a regular on concert and operatic stages worldwide.
The 2022-2023 season marks DeShong’s return to San Francisco Opera, where she will debut the role of ‘Octavia’ in the world premiere of John Adams’ “Antony and Cleopatra”. 2023 includes a tour of Handel’s Alcina (Bradamante) with Les Musiciens du Louvre and Marc Minkowski, followed by her Dallas Opera debut as ‘Dorabella’ in Mozart’s “Cosi fan tutte” ...
Upcoming Schedule
JOHN ADAMS: Antony and Cleopatra
The most recent opera by preeminent American composer John Adams—a glorious adaptation of Shakespeare’s immortal drama—has its Met premiere. Following her debut in the company premiere of Adams’s El Niño in 2024, soprano Julia Bullock stars as the irresistible Cleopatra, one of theater’s most complex and captivating characters, opposite bass-baritone Gerald Finley as the conflicted Antony. Adams himself takes the podium to conduct his lyrical and richly orchestrated score, leading a new staging by groundbreaking director Elkhanah Pulitzer that transports the story of troubled romance and political strife from ancient Rome to the Golden Age of Hollywood in the 1930s. Tenor Paul Appleby is Caesar, who goes to war with Antony, and mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong is Caesar’s sister and Antony’s forsaken wife Octavia.
Madama Butterfly: “Scuoti quella fronda di ciliegio” - DeShong/Kurzak
Aleksandra Kurzak and Elizabeth DeShong sing an excerpt from Cio-Cio-San and Suzuki’s Act II duet in the final dress rehearsal. Production: Anthony Minghella. Conductor: Xian Zhang. 2023–24 season.
Albums
Meyerbeer: Le Prophète (Live)
Meyerbeer: Le Prophète John Osborn (Jean de Leyde), Elizabeth DeShong (Fidès), Mané Galoyan (Berthe), Edwin Crossley-Mercer (Count Oberthal) London Symphony Orchestra, Mediterranean Youth Orchestra, Maîtrise des Bouches-du-Rhône, Lyon Opera Chorus, Sir Mark Elder
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