Kelsey Lauritano is a Japanese American mezzo-soprano originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, celebrated for her dynamic and compelling vocal presence. Hailed by The New York Times for the "warmth" and "heroism" of her voice, Opera News for her "wondrous power" and "remarkable beauty of tone," and the Boston Globe for her “rippling wine-dark voice with a low range of staggering strength,” Kelsey has quickly established herself internationally as a distinguished artist in both operatic and concert settings.

Currently an ensemble member of Oper Frankfurt, Kelsey’s 2024/25 season features several notable role debuts, including Rosmira in a new production of Händel’s Partenope under the direction of Julia Burbach and the baton of George Petrou, and Claudia in a fresh staging of Dittersdorf’s Doktor und Apotheker, directed by Ute M. Engelhardt with conductors Alden Gatt and Lukas Rommelspacher. Additionally, she will reprise her roles as Lichas in Barrie Kosky’s acclaimed production of Händel’s Hercules (cond. Lawrence Cummings) and Cherubino in Tilmann Köhler’s production of Le Nozze di Figaro (cond. Alden Gatt). The season concludes with her return to the U.S. debuting as Prince Orlofsky in a new production of Die Fledermaus at Opera Theatre of St. Louis, directed by Shawna Lucey and conducted by George Manahan.

In the previous season at Oper Frankfurt, Kelsey captivated audiences with her role debuts as Cherubino in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, directed by Tilmann Köhler and conducted by Thomas Guggeis, and Fragoletto in Offenbach’s rarely performed operetta Die Banditen (Les brigands), directed by Katharina Thoma and conducted by Karsten Januschke. She also shone in the revival of her role as Emilia in Damiano Michieletto’s production of Rossini’s Otello (cond. Sesto Quatrini), and as an Alto soloist in Rossini’s Petite Messe solennelle at the Edinburgh International Festival, led by renowned chamber pianist James Baillieu.

Kelsey’s previous seasons at Oper Frankfurt have included a series of important debuts: Dorabella in Christof Loy’s celebrated production of Mozart’s Così fan tutte (cond. Takeshi Moriuchi), The Fox in Ute Engelhardt’s award-winning production of Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen (cond. Jonathan Stockhammer), Paolo in Hans Walter Richter’s new production of Mercadante’s Francesca da Rimini (cond. Ramón Tebar), and Suzuki in R.B. Schlather’s new production of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly (cond. Antonello Manacorda). She also garnered acclaim as the Mezzo-soprano soloist in Tchaikovsky’s Nur wer die Sehnsucht Kennt, a fully staged Liederabend directed by Christof Loy (DVD released by Unitel & Hessische Rundfunk).

On the concert stage, Kelsey has made appearances as the Alto soloist in Bach’s Mass in B minor at the Tiroler Festspiele Erl, conducted by Giedrė Šlekytė, and in Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the Bayerisches Rundfunkorchester, under the baton of Howard Arman (CD: BR-Klassik).

During her time in the Opernstudio at Oper Frankfurt, Kelsey debuted as Emilia in Rossini’s Otello (dir. Damiano Michieletto), Giovanna in Verdi’s Rigoletto, the Third Wood Nymph in Dvořák’s Rusalka, Enrichetta di Francia in Bellini’s I Puritani, and Eine Spanierin in Schreker’s Der ferne Klang (CD: Oehms Classic).

Beyond Frankfurt, Kelsey has also graced stages with The Oregon Symphony, Boston Early Music Festival, The New World Symphony, Music Academy of the West, New York Song Festival, Virginia Arts Festival, Nürnberger Symphoniker, Tiroler Festspiele Erl and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.

Kelsey holds both a Master of Music and a Bachelor of Music from The Juilliard School, where she was awarded the Peter Mennin Prize for outstanding achievement and leadership in music. Her accolades include the 2024 Eva Kleinitz award at the Concorso Lirico Internazionale di Portofino (CLIP), first prize at the 2018 Marilyn Horne Song Competition, and honors from the Metropolitan Opera National Council, the James Toland Vocal Arts Competition, and the Gerda Lissner/Liederkrantz Song Competition. In 2012, she was named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts by President Barack Obama.

Updated September 2024. This biography should not be edited without permission.