MARGARET YAUGER, Mezzo-soprano

Margaret Yauger was the leading mezzo-soprano of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf for ten years, where she performed in over 18 productions, including “Fricka” and “Waltraute” in Wagner’s Ring Cycle, “Orpheus” in Gluck’s Orpheus und Eurydice, “Fenena” in Nabucco, “Marina” in Boris Godunov, and many others. 

Ms. Yauger has performed with the opera houses of Freiburg, Hannover, Karlsruhe, Krefeld, and Wiesbaden in Germany, the Teatro Regio in Torino, Italy, in Mexico with the Mexico City Opera, and in Spain with the Bilbao Opera.  In past seasons, she performed Verdi’s Requiem in the Cesky Krumlou Festival in the Czech Republic, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with Portland Symphony Orchestra, as “Mary” in Der Fliegende Holländer with Cincinnati Opera, St. John Passion with Youngstown Symphony, and a tour of France as the alto soloist with the Choral “Madame Flora” in Menotti’s The Medium with Portland Opera Repertory Theatre, and Honegger’s King David with the Youngstown Symphony in Ohio. 

Recent and upcoming engagements include Mahler’s Rueckertlieder and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with Maine’s Portland Symphony, Handel’s Messiah with the Alabama Symphony, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with the Canterbury Choral Society at Carnegie Hall, the role of “Mamma Lucia” in Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci with Portland Opera Repertory Theatre and Verdi Requiem with Springfield Symphony in Maine.

Ms. Yauger began her operatic career when conductor Sarah Caldwell invited her to join the American National Opera Company’s touring production of Verdi’s Falstaff singing “Meg Page” following which she joined the Boris Goldovsky Opera Touring Company.  Since then she has appeared with the Birmingham Civic Opera as “Augusta Tabor” in The Ballad of Baby Doe, “Amneris” in Aida, with Lake George Opera Festival, “Lucretia” in Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia, with Caramoor Festival in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, as “Elizabeth Proctor” in Ward’s The Crucible, and as “Jenny” in Weill’s Threepenny Opera.  Ms. Yauger has appeared with America Opera Center, Central City Opera, and New York City Opera where she sang “Enrichetta” in I Puritanni with Beverly Sills, “Lola” in Cavalleria Rusticana, “Maddalena” in Rigoletto, Knoxville Opera in Floyd’s Susannah, and with Fort Worth Opera as “Laura” in Ponchielli’s La Gioconda.

Ms. Yauger’s concert appearances have included Das Rheingold with Washington National Symphony and Roanoke Symphony, Brahms’ Alto Rhapsody, Handel’s Messiah with Jacksonville Symphony, New York, and Boston, and Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony with Roanoke and Solingen Symphonies.  Ms. Yauger has performed Verdi’s Requiem dozens of ensembles, including the symphonies of Trier, Moenchengladbach, Krefeld, Berlin and Delaware.  She frequently performs Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and has recently performed this work with symphonies of Duisburg, Dresden and the Heidelberg Schloss Festival, which she recordedwith the Mexico City Symphony.  Finally, Ms. Yauger performed in Wozzeck with Boston Symphony and a concert performance of Strauss’ Elektra with London Symphony Orchestra, both under Seiji Ozawa.

Ms. Yauger’s honors include listings in Who’s Who in Opera, Who’s Who in American Music, First Editionand the International Who’s Who in Music and Musicians’ Directory 1988.  She received her Bachelor of Music degree from Converse College and her Master of Music degree from the New England Conservatory.  Currently, she is on the voice faculty at the University of Southern Maine.  Ms. Yauger recently recorded Verdi’s Nabucco with the Düsseldorf Opera.