Guest ArtistsRenée Tatum, mezzo soprano

Noted for her “commanding and dramatic presence” (Opera News), mezzo-soprano Renée Tatum is rapidly gaining critical acclaim on the most prestigious opera stages in the United States.

This season, engagements include Flosshilde in Das Rheingold at the National Taichung Theatre and in Götterdammerung in a return to Houston Grand Opera, Olga in Eugene Onegin with Boston Youth Symphony, and solos in Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with Pacific Chorale, Mozart’s Requiem with Omaha Symphony, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with San Diego Symphony and Handel’s Messiah with Pacific Symphony Orchestra.

Recent seasons’ engagements include Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with Toledo Opera, Flosshilde and Waltraute in Der Ring des Nibelungen with Washington National Opera, Flosshilde in Götterdämmerung with Teatro Massimo di Palermo, a return to the Metropolitan Opera as the Second Lady in Julie Taymor’s production of Die Zauberflöte led by Ádám Fischer, a return to Houston Grand Opera both as Third Lady in Die Zauberflöte under the baton of Robert Spano, and as Grimgerde in a new production of Die Walküre conducted by Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers. Ms. Tatum also joined an international cast in Japan as Flora in Verdi’s La traviata and as mezzo soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with The Boston Symphony Orchestra at the Tanglewood Music Festival.

A recent alumna of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, Ms. Tatum made her Metropolitan Opera début as Inez in Il trovatore conducted by Marco Armiliato. She sang the role of Flosshilde in Robert Lepage’s landmark production of Der Ring des Nibelungen conducted by Fabio Luisi. Earlier in her young career, Ms. Tatum was also featured as Háta in Smetana’s The Bartered Bride in a new production by Stephen Wadsworth, led by James Levine, in a collaboration between The Metropolitan Opera and the Juilliard School.

Renée Tatum is a winner of the 2011 Gerda Lissner Foundation Competition, a finalist of the 2011 George London Foundation Competition, 2010 Grand Prize Winner of The Licia Albanese Puccini Foundation Competition, The Opera Index Competition, The Jensen Foundation Award from Chautauqua Opera and two-time recipient of the Richard F. Gold Career Grant. A Regional Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Ms. Tatum holds degrees from The Juilliard School and The Manhattan School of Music. Ms. Tatum’s discography includes the DVD releases of The Metropolitan Opera LIVE: in HD broadcasts of Otelloand Rusalka, as well as a recording of Le Grand Macabre with The New York Philharmonic.