Margaret Gawrysiak

Known for her powerful voice and galvanizing performances, mezzo-soprano Margaret Gawrysiak’s engagements for the 2021-2022 season include a return to her home company of Seattle Opera as Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro. Additionally, she joins the roster of The Metropolitan Opera for the first time, covering Madame Larina in Eugene Onegin. On the concert stage, she joins the Boise Philharmonic for Lili Boulanger’s Psalm 130.

Ms. Gawrysiak’s planned engagements for the 2020-2021 COVID-affected season included her return to Virginia Opera as Ruth in Pirates of Penzance (cancelled), a return to Seattle Opera as the Older Woman in Jonathan Dove’s Flight (presented in film format), and her debut with Madison Opera as Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro (postponed). Her shortened 2019-2020 season included engagements as Madame Larina in Eugene Onegin with Seattle Opera (performed), and her debut with Dallas Opera as Berta in Il barbiere di Siviglia (cancelled).

In the 2018-2019 season, Ms. Gawrysiak was seen as the Old Lady in Candide with The Knights at Tanglewood and Ravinia, Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro for her return to Opera Colorado, Madame Larina in Eugene Onegin with Atlanta Opera, and Emma Jones in Street Scene with Virginia Opera. The 2017-2018 season saw a return to Seattle Opera as Berta in The Barber of Seville, and appearances with the Seattle Symphony for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and New York City Ballet for Stravinsky’s Les noces. 

During the 2016-2017 season, the mezzo-soprano performed as Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro and Ruth in The Pirates of Penzance with Lyric Opera of Kansas City; Zita and Frugola in Opera Company of Middlebury’s production of Il Trittico; and the Old Lady in Candide with Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra.

The mezzo-soprano’s 2015-2016 season featured a wide range of performances, including the world premiere of Lori Laitman’s Scarlet Letter with Opera Colorado as Mistress Hibbons; Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro with Seattle Opera; Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd with Fresno Grand Opera; and Public Opinion in Orpheus in the Underworld with Virginia Opera.

Other notable recent engagements for Margaret Gawrysiak include Little Buttercup in H.M.S. Pinafore with Virginia Opera; the Marquise in La fille du régiment with Arizona Opera; Mrs. De Rocher in Dead Man Walking with Dayton Opera; Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro, and Vera Boronel in The Consul with Seattle Opera; Ježibaba in Rusalka with North Carolina Opera; Frugola in Il tabarro with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis; Zia Principessa in Suor Angelica with Crested Butte Music Festival; Dame Quickly in Falstaff, Baba the Turk and Mother Goose in The Rake’s Progress, Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, and La Mère d’Antonia in Les contes d’Hoffmann with Wolf Trap Opera; Zita in Gianni Schicchi at the Castleton Festival; Giovanna in Rigoletto with Florida Grand Opera; and a workshop of Nico Muhly’s Two Boys with the Metropolitan Opera.

On the concert stage, she has performed Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood under Maestro Lorin Maazel, Weill’s Mahagonny Songspiel with the Seattle Symphony, Dessau’s Haggadah shel Pesach with the American Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, Mozart’s Requiem and Verdi’s Requiem with the Springfield Symphony, and Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky with the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra.

Ms. Gawrysiak is a graduate of Seattle Opera’s Young Artist Program where she was featured as Dinah in Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti, Zita in Gianni Schicchi, Olga in Eugene Onegin, and Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She also graduated from San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program, where she covered Beppe in L’amico Fritz, and performed Isabella in scenes from L’italiana in Algeri on the Schwabacher Concert Program. Margaret also participated for two summers at Glimmerglass Opera as a young artist, where she performed as Juno in Orpheus in the Underworld and covered the roles of the Grandmother and Aunt in Jenůfa.

In 2009 Margaret was a winner of the Sullivan Foundation Award and received second place in the Lotte Lenya Competition. She has received awards from the Jensen Foundation, Portland Opera’s Lieber Awards, the Gerda Lissner Foundation, and Fort Worth Opera’s McCammon Awards. She is a graduate of Eastman School of Music and Western Illinois University.