Soprano
Meghan DeWald

Soprano Meghan DeWald most recently sang the role of Christine in Intermezzo by Richard Strauss with Pittsburgh Festival Opera, where she garnered acclaim. Prior to her move to Pittsburgh, she sang at the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland, where she performed in Luciano Berio’s Coro under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle as a member of the prestigious Lucerne Festival Academy. As part of the Lucerne Festival, she was also honored to perform Unsuk Chin’s snagS&Snarls, a piece for solo soprano and ensemble. In 2013, DeWald performed the role Contessa Almaviva in Delaware Valley Opera Company’s production of Le nozze di Figaro, as well as Marguerite in Opera Lancaster’s production of Faust. As a Young Artist with Cincinnati Opera, she covered the role of Musetta in La bohème and performed under the baton of Edoardo Müller in their 90th Anniversary Gala. In 2009, she covered soprano Dawn Upshaw in the role of Margarita in Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar at Cincinnati Opera. Other favorite roles include Fiordiligi in Cosí fan tutte, Magda in La Rondine, Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare, Camelia la Tejana in the world premiere of Gabriela Ortiz’s “videopera” ¡Únicamente la verdad!, Diana in William Bolcom’s A Wedding and Margarita Xirgu in the collegiate premiere of Ainadamar at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. A former Young Artist with Kentucky Opera, she has performed the roles of Juliette in Roméo et Juliette (OperaWorks tour) and Berta in Il barbiere di Siviglia with Kentucky Opera.
Favorite concert performances include the Britten War Requiem, Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras no. 5, Israelite Woman in Handel’s Samson, Mozart’s Requiem, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, Bach’s Magnificat and Handel’s Ode to St. Cecelia. A champion of new music, she has enjoyed collaborations with composers Lori Laitman, Unsuk Chin, Andrea Clearfield, Gabriela Ortiz, David Ward-Steinman, and Matthew Peterson. She enjoys performing contemporary works with the award-winning professional choral ensemble The Crossing in Philadelphia, most recently performing with them at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.
She has been the recipient of several awards including Second Place Regional Finalist (Upper Midwest Region) and is a three-time District Winner (Florida and Wisconsin) in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She is also the first place winner of the Opera San Nicola Competition and the Lansing Matinee Musicale. DeWald earned her Doctor of Music in Vocal Performance and Literature at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where she also earned her Master of Music degree. She graduated magna cum laude from the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University. She currently resides in Pittsburgh with her husband; in addition to singing, she loves practicing and teaching yoga as a 200-hr certified instructor.