~ Biography ~

Biography

An extremely versatile performer, Mary Elizabeth Southworth is an active soprano soloist in repertoires including opera, oratorio, art song, musical theatre, and symphonic works.

Mary Elizabeth moved from northern Wisconsin to Cincinnati to earn her Masters Degree in Vocal Performance from the prestigious College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) at the University of Cincinnati. While attending CCM she was awarded the J. Ralph Corbett Prize and was selected as a Concerto Competition Winner. After graduation, she placed second in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Regional Auditions.

She has performed numerous times with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Opera and the Cincinnati May Festival. These performances include: soprano soloist in Zemlinsky’s Psalm 84 conducted by James Conlon, Blumenmadchen in Wagner’s Parsifal conducted by Jesus Lopez-Cobos, Frasquita in Carmen, and Marzelline in Beethoven’s Fidelio conducted by Paavo Järvi. She was also featured in Cincinnati Opera's outreach program entitled Find Your Voice. Mary has also sung with the Cincinnati Pops under the batons of Maestro Erich Kunzel, John Morris Russell, Eric Dudley and Marvin Hamlisch, performing at the Cincinnati Pops Concerts in the Park series and the Home for the Holidays programs. Mary has also appeared as soloist on numerous occasions with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, including Faure's Requiem, Handel's Messiah and most recently, Mahler's 4th Symphony.

Mary Elizabeth was seen in Nevada Opera`s production of Marriage of Figaro as Susanna, Kentucky Opera`s production of Marriage of Figaro as Barbarina, and Dayton Opera productions of Little Women as Beth and Magic Flute as Pamina. She has sung the role of Gretel in Humperdinck's Hänsel and Gretel twice with the Kentucky Opera and also with the Chattanooga Opera and has appeared as a featured soloist with the Northern Kentucky Symphony, the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra and the Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra. She has performed recitals throughout the country and was a featured soloist at a dedication concert for Jerome Hines in 2002.

Mary is an active chamber music musician. In 2006 she helped create a chamber music ensemble called Conundrum with whom she actively performs. In 2007, Conundrum was the artist in residence at the Cincinnati School for the Creative and Performing Arts and was a featured ensemble during "ChamberPalooza!" 2007 and again in 2009. In 2008 Conundrum was featured as the headlining ensemble at the California State University, Fresno New Music Festival and will be returning in 2010. She also performs regularly and has toured and recorded with the Dayton chamber music ensemble Top Brass.

Mary Elizabeth has recorded on Albany Records with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra and the CCM Philharmonia Orchestra and on Sparrow Records with the Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra. In 2009 she released her first solo album entitled Storyteller based on her very successful recital program and also in 2009 Conundrum released their first album entitled That Night. Conundrum's second album entitled From the Diamond Grid was released in 2014.

Serving on the faculty at Wright State University for 6 years in the Theatre Program, she taught Musical Theatre and Acting majors and many of her students have landed roles in national and international tours. She also taught as a Master Voice Teacher at the Musical Arts Center in Cincinnati, Ohio for 8 years. She is currently serving as adjunct faculty at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and is the Music Director and Cantor for Rockdale Temple. In 2004 she was inducted into the Cincinnati MacDowell Society and in 2005, Women's Business Cincinnati named her as one of the Top 10 Women in the Arts.

She resides in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband, twin daughters Jacqueline and Elizabeth and her three dogs. She is also an avid runner, finishing three Cincinnati Marathons and in 2003 she skied the American Birkebeiner 54K cross-country ski race with her father (who would have skied it faster without her).