Katie Stevenson 01_KATIE_SUNSET_3 ©Nik Hill

©Photo: Tom Bowles

©Photo: Nik Hill

©Photo: Jane Hobson

Katie Stevenson 03_KATIE_DARK_3 ©Nik Hill

©Photo: Nik Hill

©Photo: Robert Workman

Katie Stevenson

Mezzo-soprano

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“British mezzo Katie Stevenson performs with poise and clarity”
(Opera Magazine)

Young British mezzo-soprano Katie Stevenson brings her new generation Wagnerian talent to English National Opera this season as Grimgerde in Richard Jones’ new production of The Valkyrie, conducted by Music Director Martyn Brabbins. This comes after performances as Flosshilde and Grimgerde for Longborough Festival Opera as part of their new Der Ring des Nibelungen under Anthony Negus, and Rossweisse in Jonathan Dove’s arrangement of Die Walküre at the Hackney Empire. Katie returns to Longborough in a future summer to complete the cycle as Flosshilde in Götterdämmerung.

As a Harewood Artist with English National Opera, Katie Stevenson has enjoyed appearances as Kate Pinkteron in Anthony Minghella’s celebrated production of Madam Butterfly, in Daniel Kramer’s new production of Harrison Birtwistle’s The Mask of Orpheus, in the world premiere of Nico Muhly’s Marnie, and garnered particular attention as Nefertiti in Phelim McDermott’s production of Akhnaten, “her sonorous tones a telling counterpoint to Roth Costanzo’s bright falsetto” (Evening Standard). Further operatic highlights include the title role in Porpora’s rarely performed L’Agrippina for Barber Opera in Birmingham, and Dritte Dame in Die Zauberflöte for both ENO and Garsington in Netia Jones’ new production under Christian Curnyn.

'Höre mit Sinn' from Wagner's Götterdämmerung © Katie Stevenson

Gallery

On the concert platform, Katie made her BBC Proms debut in Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Sakari Oramo as part of the Last Night of the Proms, joined Orquesta Sinfónica Del Principado De Asturias for Kindertotenlieder, and performed Shostakovich’s Six Poems of Marina Tsvetaeva in a staged version for English Touring Opera. In recent months, she has also added Verdi’s Messa da Requiem, Dvořák’s Stabat Mater and Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius to an ever-expanding repertoire.

In competition, Katie was the recipient of all three prizes at the Wagner Society Singing Competition, culminating in an invitation to attend the Bayreuth Young Scholars Programme, and won the 2016 Marjorie Thomas Art of Song prize.

Excerpt - Shostakovich: Poems of Marina Tsvetaeva © English Touring Opera’s Autumn 2020 Lyric Solitude season; www.marquee.tv

Where corals lie from Elgar's Sea Pictures © Katie Stevenson

“Weiche, Wotan, weiche!” © Katie Stevenson

“Shostakovich’s late Poems of Marina Tsvetaeva and Britten’s A Charm of Lullabies, both with the mezzo Katie Stevenson as the touching soloist.”

(Guardian, October 2020)

“Britten’s A Charm of Lullabies were delivered with characterful warmth by the mezzo-soprano Katie Stevenson, who pulled off an impressive double by switching with equal poise to Shostakovich’s fiercely angular approach to the Poems of Marina Tsvetaeva.”

(Rupert Christiansen, Telegraph, October 2020)

“Katie Stevenson impresses as Nefertiti”

(Telegraph, February 2019)

“Katie Stevenson as Akhnaten’s wife Nefertiti and Rebecca Bottone as his mother Queen Tye weave richer vocal textures that convey the growing unease around the cult of Aten.”

(The Guardian, February 2019)

“As Nefertiti, the pharaoh’s wife, Katie Stevenson towers over him, her sonorous tones a telling counterpoint to Roth Costanzo’s bright falsetto”

(Evening Standard, February 2019)

“British mezzo Katie Stevenson, performing with poise and clarity as the Theatre Director”

(Opera Magazine, November 2018)

“… and Katie Stevenson were as fine a trio of Ladies as anyone could wish, singing as fabulously as they looked”

(musicOHM, June 2018)

“Katie Stevenson was a compelling, committed Agrippina”

(Opera Magazine, December 2017)

“All nine of the cast members adeptly accepted the challenge and rose to the occasion so well that it is hard to pick out those deserving a special mention. However, forced to choose, I would note the mezzo-soprano Katie Stevenson in the title-role”

(Bachtrack, September 2017)

“Katie Stevenson sculpted Virtù’s and Venere’s lines to striking effect”

(Opera Magazine, August 2016)

“As Virtue and Venus, Katie Stevenson deployed a steely mezzo that contrasted nicely with the flirtatious warmth in the voice of Nika Gorič’s Fortuna.”

(Bachtrack, May 2016)

“A fruity force to be reckoned with”

(Opera Magazine, March 2016)

“Katie Stevenson similarly raised smiles as sister-in-law – one suspects that covers a multitude of sins – to the Headman.”

(Boulezian, March 2016)

“As the Mayor’s sister-in-law — the butt of all the jokes and trickery — Katie Stevenson did not let the comic shenanigans distract her from producing a firm, full-toned melodic line.”

(Opera Today, March 2016)