Monica Dewey, Soprano http://monicadewey.com
Recognized for her endearing timbre and indelible warmth and beauty, Monica Dewey is a soprano from Atlanta, Georgia. She started her career with the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in 2017 as Servilia in La Clemenza di Tito. Since then, she has made several notable house debuts, including the San Francisco Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, and Oper Köln, while performing additional recitals at Opera America and the Kerrytown Concert House. This season Monica will join the roster of the Metropolitan Opera in their productions of Le Nozze di Figaro and Agrippina.
In the past few seasons, Monica has been seen in an impressive variety of repertoire. In 2018, she performed Alexandra in Regina at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis alongside operatic legends Susan Graham and Jim Morris. She has also championed works by Ricky Ian Gordon both on the operatic stage and in recital. At the Michigan Opera Theatre, she performed the role of Alice B. Toklas in 27 and was praised by Opera News for her “mastery of musical styles ranging from contemporary opera to musical theater and cabaret… Dewey’s endearing timbre burst with warmth.” In recital with Kathleen Kelly, she performed Gordon’s chamber piece Orpheus and Euridice, based on the death of Gordon’s long-time life partner. Other important role debuts include Gilda in Rigoletto with the Sacramento Philharmonic and return engagements to Michigan Opera Theatre as Cunegonde in Candide and the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis as Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro.
In 2017, Monica was awarded 1st Prize, Prize of the Sponsors, Prize of the Media, and Prize of the Jury at the 10th International Hilde Zadek Competition at the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria. Her other honors include top prizes from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (National Semi-Finalist), the Sullivan Foundation, Gerda Lissner Foundation, the American Prize, and the Arleen Auger Memorial Scholarship. Monica received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Kentucky in Music and Arts Administration and a Master of Music from Indiana University. While at Indiana University, Monica was awarded the Georgina Joshi International Fellowship and worked as an Associate Instructor of Voice.
Monica is an advocate for women’s rights and a proud member of the LGBT+ community. Recently, she spoke on the Representation and Responsibility Panel at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, titled “#Timesup, #MeToo, & Women in Opera”. Monica lives in New York City with her partner, Synthia.
Opera Repertoire
| Composer | Opera | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Bellini | I Capuletti e I Montecchi | Giulietta |
| Beethoven | Fidelio | Marzelline |
| Bernstein | Candide | Cunegonde |
| Bizet | Carmen | Frasquita |
| Bizet | Les pêcheurs de perles | Leila |
| Britten | Peter Grimes | First Niece |
| Britten | Rape of Lucretia | Lucia |
| Donizetti | Don Pasquale | Norina |
| Donizetti | L’elisir d’amore | Adina |
| Donizetti | La fille du Régiment | Marie |
| Gluck | Orfeo ed Euridice | Euridice, Amore |
| Gounod | Roméo et Juliette | Juliette |
| Ricky Ian Gordon | 27 | Alice |
| Ricky Ian Gordon | The Grapes of Wrath | Rosasharn |
| Ricky Ian Gordon | Orpheus and Euridice | Euridice |
| Handel | Alcina | Morgana |
| Handel | Ariodante | Dalinda |
| Humperdinck | Hänsel und Gretel | Gretel |
| Humperdinck | Sandmännchen | Taumännchen |
| Massanet | Cendrillon | La Fée |
| Massanet | Manon | Poussette |
| Massanet | Werther | Sophie |
| Mozart | La clemenza di Tito | Servilia |
| Mozart | Così Fan Tutte | Despina |
| Mozart | Die Entführung aus dem Serail | Blondchen |
| Mozart | Don Giovanni | Zerlina |
| Mozart | Idomeneo | Ilia |
| Mozart | Le nozze di Figaro | Barbarina, Susanna |
| Mozart | Die Zauberflöte | Pamina, Papagena |
| Moore | The Ballad of Baby Doe | Baby Doe |
| Poulenc | Dialogues des Carmélites | Constance |
| Puccini | La bohème | Musetta |
| Puccini | Gianni Schicchi | Lauretta |
| Rossini | Il barbiere di Siviglia | Rosina |
| Rossini | La Cenerentola | Clorinda |
| Rossini | L’Italiana in Algeri | Elvira |
| Strauss, J. | Die Fledermaus | Adele |
| Strauss, R. | Arabella | Fiakermilli, Zdenka |
| Strauss, R. | Ariadne auf Naxos | Zerbinetta, Echo |
| Strauss, R. | Der Rosenkavalier | Sophie |
| Stravinsky | The Rake's Progress | Anne Truelove |
| Verdi | Un ballo in mascara | Oscar |
| Verdi | Don Carlo | Celestial Voice |
| Verdi | Falstaff | Nanetta |
| Verdi | Rigoletto | Gilda |
| Verdi | Tosca | Shepherd boy |
| Wagner | Parsifal | Blumenmädchen |
| Wagner | Siegfried | Waldvogel |
| Wagner | Tannhäuser | Shepherd |
| Weill | Street Scene | Rose |
Concert Repertoire
| Composer | Composition | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Bach | St. Matthew Passion | soprano soloist |
| Brahms | A German Requiem | soprano soloist |
| Faure | Requiem | soprano soloist |
| Handel | Messiah | soprano soloist |
| Mozart | Requiem | soprano soloist |
| Orff | Carmina Burana | soprano soloist |
Press Acclaim
“...and with Monica Dewey’s feisty, principled Susanna, “Sull’aria” sealed more than a letter: it solidified a class-bridging friendship built on common experience. Although the diction was excellent all around, Dewey was particularly clear, especially in the recitatives. Her tender, limpidly sung “Deh vieni” seemed to stop time.”
“In the show-stopper “Glitter and be Gay,” Dewey embraced the character’s unhinged excitement while delivering acrobatic melismas. A playful and realistic actor with
a silvery lyric coloratura soprano, Dewey created a Cunegonde who was endearingly human.”
“The youth bloom soprano Monica Dewey’s voice was perfect for Alexandra, Regina’s daughter, who comes to understand her mother’s ruthlessness.”
“Rounding out the soloists, Monica Dewey was a jewel of
a Servilia ... her gleaming, poised soprano and delightful stage manner immeasurably enhanced every scene she was in.”
