Marietta Simpson, mezzo-soprano

Marietta Simpson, whose deeply expressive, richly beautiful voice has made her one of the most sought-after mezzo-sopranos today, has sung with major orchestras throughout the United States, under many of the world's greatest conductors, including the late Robert Shaw in her Carnegie Hall debut in 1988 as soloist in Brahms' Alto Rhapsody with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. During the 2012-13 season Ms. Simpson appeared as Queenie in Showboat with Houston Grand Opera, as soloist in Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra under Carlos-Miguel Prieto, and in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. Her 2011-12 season included singing as soloist in Messiah with the United States Naval Academy, and in Bruckner’s Te Deum and Tippett’s A Child of Our Time, both with Collegiate Chorale. As a concert artist, Marietta Simpson made her New York Philharmonic debut under Kurt Masur in Mendelssohn's Elijah, followed by performances of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis and Symphony No. 9, and Bach's St. John Passion, also under Masur. She sang in Carnegie Hall's commemoration of the 250th anniversary of Messiah, and performed Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, under Zdenek Macal, for the inauguration of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark. A native of Philadelphia, Ms. Simpson graduated from Temple University and received her Master's Degree in Music from the State University of New York at Binghamton. She is currently an associate professor of voice at Indiana University.