"The mezzo Eve Gigliotti, her voice powerful and agile, was movingly torn between her mission and her desires."
-New York Times
Biography
Mezzo-soprano Eve Gigliotti has won critical acclaim for her work
spanning both the dramatic repertoire and contemporary opera,
notably, originating the roles of Ruth in the world premiere of Dark
Sisters (Muhly/Karam), and Dodo in the world premiere of Breaking
the Waves (Mazzoli/Vavrek).
To begin the 2024-2025 season, she makes her role debut as
Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana with Pittsburgh Opera. A celebrated presence at the Metropolitan Opera, Gigliotti’s season roles include Antonia’s Mother in Les contes d’Hoffmann, the 3rd Lady
in The Magic Flute and Iras in John Adams’ Antony & Cleopatra,
conducted by the composer. In over 75 performances at the house
during the last few seasons, the mezzo-soprano has appeared in a
wide range of roles, including Madame de la Haltière (Cinderella),
Gertrude (Brett Dean’s Hamlet), Sally (The Hours), Suzuki (Madama
Butterfly), Gertrude (Roméo et Juliette) and Mary (Der fliegende
Holländer). During summer 2024, she returned to The Glimmerglass
Festival as Ruth in The Pirates of Penzance and Giunone in La Calisto.
Previously, she appeared in concert at Carnegie Hall with the American Symphony Orchestra for Ethel Smyth’s Mass in D, and made a star turn as Mrs. Lovett in Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd at Chautauqua Opera. Eve Gigliotti's collaborative short film ‘A Jarful of Bees’ was featured at Opera Philadelphia’s Season O22 Film Festival and is featured on the Opera Philadelphia Channel. As producer, her projects include the original immersive opera, No One Is Forgotten (Prestini & Shirey/Miller), with Dallas Opera.
Gigliotti made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Mercedes in Carmen, subsequently returning to reprise that role and appear as Siegrune in Robert Lepage’s milestone production of Die Walküre, led by James Levine, and broadcast to theaters worldwide in HD.
Other notable operatic engagements include Siegrune at Houston GrandOpera, Tanglewood Music Festival and Washington National Opera, Isabella in L’italiana in Algeri with the ABAO Bibao Opera in Spain, Gertrude in Thomas’ Hamlet with Washington Concert Opera,Giulietta in Les contes d’Hoffmann with Hawaii Opera, and Gertrudein Roméo et Juliette with San Francisco Opera.
On the symphonic stage, Eve has performed Handel’s Messiah with
the Pittsburgh Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Milwaukee
Symphony, and the Seattle Symphony, with whom she has also
performed Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. She performed
Verdi’s Requiem with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the US
premiere of Andrew Norman’s A Trip to the Moon with the Los
Angeles Philharmonic, sang Rossini’s Stabat Mater with the Oregon
Symphony, and joined the Bard College Conservatory
Orchestra for Mahler’s Third Symphony, conducted by Leon Botstein. Ms. Gigliotti has collaborated several times with Maestro Botstein and the American Symphony Orchestra at venues such as Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall, bowing in performances of Taneyev’s At The Reading of a Psalm, Elgar’s The Kingdom, Scenes from
Goethe’s Faust by Schumann and Bizet’s Djamileh (title role).
A champion of contemporary music, The Opera America Songbook
features Ms. Gigliotti performing “Archaeology”, a song written
exclusively for her by acclaimed composer/librettist team David Little
and Royce Vavrek. She performed the world premiere of composer
Mohammed Fairouz's new oratorio, Al-Quds: Jerusalem, at the
Metropolitan Museum, and was invited by Houston Grand Opera (East + West Festival) to originate the role of Mrs. Parvin in composer
Gregory Spears' opera The Bricklayer.
Her combination of volcanic low notes and assured power into the upper reaches made for an emotional and mercurial queen, riddled with anxiety and guilt over her part in her husband’s death, but still filled with maternal care.
Charles T. Downey, Washington Classical Review
Olivia from Yoani Songs
Paola Prestini / Royce Vavrek
National Sawdust Opening Night
