Melanie Helton

ABOUT

Melanie Helton is professor of voice (soprano) and director of the MSU Opera Theatre. She has been hailed by The New York Times for her “dark soprano that warms the ear.” She made her international debut as Marietta/Marie in Korngold’s Die Tote Stadt at the Brisbane (Australia) Biennial. Her successes include the title roles in Lucrezia Borgia at the Caramoor International Music Festival and Aida with Opera Carolina, as well as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with Caramoor, Opera Carolina, and Lake George Opera Festival. Other engagements included Alice Ford opposite the Falstaff of Sherrill Milnes at the New York City Opera, Maddalena in Andréa Chénier, Elsa in Lohengrin, Foreign Princess in Rusalka, and Leonora in Il Trovatore for Seattle Opera, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni for New York City Opera, and the title role in Norma for Teatro de Colon, Bogotà. In addition, she has sung leading roles with the Santa Fe Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Dallas Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Washington Opera, Central City Opera and San Francisco Opera Center. Early in her career she won 1^st prize in the Merola Competition in New York, New York District Metropolitan Opera Competition, Baltimore Competition and Lola Wilson Hayes Competition. In 2016 she received 5^th Prize in the American Traditions Competition, based on her performances of nine genres of American music.

A favorite of American composers, she worked directly on the creation of the role of Dede with Leonard Bernstein on his only full-length opera, A Quiet Place, and the role of Ariel in Lee Hoiby’s The Tempest. “and flowers pick themselves” is an orchestral song cycle by Ricky Ian Gordon commissioned by MSU for her. She subsequently recorded the cycle plus 14 songs with piano, with the composer at the piano. That recording, “and flowers pick themselves,” is available on Blue Griffin Recording and was named one of American Record Guide’s “Best of 2008.” Her newest recording with MSU faculty colleague Derek Polischuk is entitled “Anxiety Attack: Schumann’s Dichterliebe and Kahane’s Craigslistlieder,” also on Blue Griffin Recording, and gained an honorable mention for the American Prize in Art Song.

The soprano earned a Bachelor of Music degree with honors from Indiana University, and a Master of Music with honors from the University of Houston. In spring 2016 Professor Helton was awarded the Dortha J. and John D. Withrow Excellence in Teaching Award from the Michigan State University College of Music in 2016. She received an award from the Lansing State Journal for her twenty years of contributions to the Lansing arts scene. As MSU Opera Director she has been a seven-time winner of prestigious National Opera Association production awards. In 2024 her production of Albert Herring won the American Prize for Opera Production and she won 2^nd prize in the Charles Nelson Reilly Directing competition. In 2024 she was named a national “Honored Artist” for continuous contribution to the art form by the American Prize.