ELIZABETH    DE SHONG
Mezzo-soprano

Pennsylvania-born mezzo-soprano, ELIZABETH DeSHONG, a third-year member of Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Ryan Opera Center, made her Lyric debut in the 2005-2006 season’sDer Rosenkavalier. DeShong is an alumna of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the Curtis Institute of Music.

Upcoming performances include Rosina inBarber of Seville (student matinees) at Lyric Opera of Chicago and Ruggiero inAlcina and Composer inAriadne auf Naxos at Wolf Trap Opera.

Recent performance credits include Meg Page  at Lyric Opera of Chicago & Opera Company of Philadelphia, the Page in Lyric Opera of Chicago’s production ofSalomé, Mercédès inCarmen (Lyric Opera of Chicago), Marilyn Klinghoffer inThe Death of Klinghoffer (Perelman Theater in Philadelphia), soloist in Manuel de Falla’sEl amore brujo (Ravinia Festival w/ Chicago Youth Symphony), and leading roles in operas of Purcell, Strauss, and Britten. DeShong has been a soloist with the Cleveland Orchestra in Parsifal (Pierre Boulez conducting), Debussy’s La damoiselle élue, and Beethoven’sNinth Symphony (Blossom Music Festival).

The mezzo received the Union League Competition’s Rose Ann Grundman Award (2006), the Musicians Club of Women’s Edith Newfield Scholarship (2006), Sullivan Foundation Award (2006), was Grand Prize Winner of the Tennessee-based Orpheus National Music Competition (2001) and recently received the 2007 Musicians Club of Women’s Lynne Harvey Scholarship. She holds awards from the Dayton Opera Guild, National Association of Teachers of Singing, and Opera Columbus.