Welcome | Susanne-Burgess

SUSANNE
BURGESS

Soprano

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“Helena was felicitously impersonated by Susanne Burgess, her buoyant, fetching soprano informing her utter devotion even as it belies the heartache of her rejection. Her amorous wishes are melodiously dispatched, and she suffers her slights with arching legato and solidly limned tirades.” -Opera Today

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"As Gilda, soprano Susanne Burgess was youthful and energetic, and sang especially well... She demonstrated a resonant top register, soaring well above the orchestration... Burgess sang the crowd-pleaser “Caro nome” with ease, tossing off ornamented lines as well as a flawless cadenza reaching high Es.”

-Town Topics

"...the flatout best in show comes from Susanne Burgess. A star on the rise, the British-American soprano has a slate of productions in front of her. Those productions will be well-served. As Mabel, her comedic timing was spot on. Her voice is a force and her range is as wide as whatever ocean the warm-hearted pirates sail across."

- ArtsATL

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"The absolute highlight of the show... mastering high-flying coloratura while swinging from the rafters... stopping the show with earnest plush lyric tone."

- The Atlanta Constitution

"As Musetta, Susanne Burgess demonstrated wonderful vocal prowess, taking the character to sonorous and extravagant heights...Her rendition of “Quando m’en vo” was rich and full of sassy body language, with Burgess humorously and sensually breaking the fourth wall" -Opera Wire

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"...all lyric splendor, with a rich, even legato. Burgess blossomed into her warm timbre, while she sang and radiated a genuine affection that uplifted the audience... with a unique combination of precision and wonder. She highlighted best energy that Leoncavallo intended and was a delight to see perform"

- Parterre Box

"...moving...a talent that promises to be incredibly important..."
"With such beauty and poise seldom seen on the best of stages... Susanne Burgess is clearly a precious gift for every audience and we look forward to seeing more of her."

- Voce di Meche

"sophisticated and full of intention...powerful voice promising of a fabulous career to come."
- The Denver Post

Biography

Susanne Burgess is a British-American soprano praised for a uniquely warm vocal color, penchant for legato line, dramatic fioratura, and engaging emotional expression on stage.

Susanne makes her Metropolitan Opera debut next season as Countess Ceprano in Verdi’s Rigoletto, also joining The Met covering in Cherubini’s Medea. Susanne spends the summer of 2022 at Des Moines Metro Opera to debut the role of Helena in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She kicked off 2022 with a tour-de-force performance of Mabel in Gilbert & Sullivan's classic The Pirates of Penzance, also joining the company for Handel's Giulio Cesare, covering Cleopatra. Shortly thereafter, Susanne made a role debut as Gilda in Rigoletto with Boheme Opera NJ. An accomplished performer on the Competition circuit this year, Susanne was awarded First Prize at the National Opera Association’s Argento Competition, Second Prize at Opera Mississippi’s John Alexander Competition, and Winner of the GA district in both 2021 and 2022 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

For the 2020-2021 season, Susanne joined The Atlanta Opera in their innovative "Reimagine Opera" tent series including Nedda in I Pagliacci and returned to the company the following Spring to sing Lucy Brown in The Threepenny Opera and Micaela in Carmen.

In early 2020, Susanne performed the role of Violetta Valéry in La Traviata, starring in 8 performances as part of the Winter USA Tour with Teatro Lirico d’Europa. Susanne was scheduled to make her role debut as Gilda in a new production of Rigoletto at Opera North and Woglinde in Das Rheingold at The Atlanta Opera before the COVID19 pandemic sadly postponed these performances. Among efforts to preserve art and opera during the pandemic, she took part in the Summer Season at Opera Theater St. Louis presenting arias and ensembles in a virtual festival which culminated in a masterclass series with internationally renowned sopranos, Patricia Racette and Nova Thomas.

In 2019 Susanne made her debut with New York City Opera as Hannah in the World Premiere of Dear Erich by Ted Rosenthal. She returned to the company in the role of Musetta in Puccini’s La Bohème. Later that year, she joined Teatro Grattacielo in NYC as Mimí in Leoncavallo’s La Bohème and La Principessa in Respighi’s La bella dormente nel bosco.

Susanne made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2017 with the New England Symphony singing the Pie Jesu from Fauré Requiem and Soprano solos in John Trotta’s The Seven Last Words of Christ and returned to Carnegie Hall to sing the Soprano solos in Jubilate Deo and Requiem for the Living by Dan Forrest.

Earlier that year, she made her international debut as Anna in Le Villi and Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi with the Festival of the Aegean at the Megaron Mousikis in Athens and Syros Greece after joining Des Moines Metro Opera as Berta in The Barber of Seville and covering Tina in their production of Flight by Johnathan Dove.