Marjorie Elinor Dix

Liebestod Rec.:

11. / 13. Feb. 2005 Dir. Mark, Peter (Virginia Opera)

Dix, Marjorie Elinor, Sopran, * ? Pittsburgh (U.S.A.); she holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Duquesne University and was a participant in the Pittsburgh Opera Center. In 2001 she received both the Robert Launch Memorial Grant from the Wagner Society and a William Mattheus Sullivan Foundation Grant. In 1995 she was the First Prize Winner in The Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation, a Finalist in the Luciano Pavarotti Competition and the Recital Winner in the Pittsburgh Concert Society Competition. She sang the Composer in excerpts from Richard Strauss's "Ariadne auf Naxos" performed in concert with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. A graduate of the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, she has been re-engaged by the Metropolitan Opera each season since completing the program. In 1999 Miss Dix made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera as Gerhilde in performances of "Die Walküre" conducted by James Levine. In the 2000-2001 season the soprano performed the High Priestess in "Aida" in performances conducted by James Levine and Paul Nadler and covered the role of the Composer in "Ariadne auf Naxos".  In addition to covering the role of Axinia in "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk". In the 2001-2002 season, while a member of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, she performed the role of Dunyasha in Prokofiev's epic opera "War and Peace" conducted by Valery Gergiev, and she initially covered the role of Marie in Berg's "Wozzeck". She was also responsible for the leading role of Helena in Britten's "A Midsummer Night's Dream". As a guest artist in the 2003-2004 season, she performed Falcon in "Die Frau ohne Schatten" in performances conducted by Phillipe Augin. In the 2002-2003 season, she appeared as the Second Maid in "Elektra" in performances conducted by James Levine, Composer in "Ariadne auf Naxos" and Didon in "Les Troyens". In the 2004-2005 season Miss Dix was responsible for the role of Ortlinde in "Die Walküre". In summer 2004, the soprano was invited by Seiji Ozawa to understudy Marie in "Wozzeck" at the Saito Kinen Festival Matsumoto, and in summer 2003 at Opera Festival of New Jersey conducted by David Agler. In season 2004-2005, Marjorie Elinor Dix added the role of Isolde in "Tristan und Isolde" to her repertoire with Virginia Opera performances conducted by Artistic Director, Peter Mark. The debut performances were critically acclaimed: “The most powerful voice in the cast was that of dramatic soprano Marjorie Elinor Dix, who sang Isolde.  Her solid and even voice never showed signs of strain and always managed to keep above the crest of the waves of sound generated by Wagner's orchestra.  While maintaining musical values, she was fully in character on stage, whether furiously raging at the beginning of Act I or swept up in a blind passion as the act ends.  In the context, Act III's ‘Liebestod' was emotionally wrenching and devastating.” Others rolles of her repertoire: Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Britten's The Rescue of Penelope, Rodelinde, Fiorilla in Rossini's "Il Turco in Italia", Frasquita, Countess in "Le Nozze di Figaro", Madame Lidoine in "Les Dialogues des Carmélites” and Kathy in Mozart's "La finta Giardiniera".