Stephanie Chigas
Mezzo-soprano

Possessing a thrilling versatility that is equally at home on opera, concert and recital stages, mezzo soprano Stephanie Chigas’ voice has been hailed as “…rich and full of the promise of things to come…”.

Ms. Chigas has performed with great success such roles as Carmen in La Tragédie De Carmen, Don Ramiro in La Finta Giardiniera, Lucretia in The Rape Of Lucretia, the title role in Bizet’s Carmen, Nicklausse in Les Contes D'hoffmann, Dorabella in Così Fan Tutte and Hansel in Hansel And Gretel. For her performances as Carmen , Joseph McLellen of the Washington Post wrote, “ Top honors on opening night went to Stephanie Chigas, who had the best voice and explored Carmen’s earthy, almost animal sensuality with a power beyond any prima donna I have seen in the role.”

Ms. Chigas has performed with the Santa Fe Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Olney Theatre Center and was engaged by the New York City Opera to cover the role of Leda in The Mines Of Sulphur. She has performed with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra on many occasions, most recently as Dorabella in Così Fan Tutte .  In the summer of 2007, she sang with the Boston Midsummer Opera in their second season to perform scenes and arias in The Tales Of Offenbach . She has performed the role of La Sphinge in the North American premiere of George Enescu's opera Oedipe with Sinfonia da Camera in Illinois.

Ms. Chigas' other concert performances have included Duruflè Requiem, Mozart Coronation Mass and Mozart Requiem at Carnegie Hall.  She has also has performed Brahms Alto Rhapsody and Mahler Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, Handel Messiah, Mendelssohn Elijah, Beethoven Choral Fantasie and Mass in Cand Mahler Symphony No. 2 "The Resurrection" at Symphony Hall with the Boston University Symphony Orchestra.

Ms. Chigas is the winner of the 2005 George London Foundation Competition and is the 2004 recipient of the Stephen Shrestinian Award for Excellence awarded through the Boston Lyric Opera. She was a 2003 National Semi-Finalist for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and the Second Place Winner in the New England Region Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 2005.  She has also received awards from Illinois Opera Theater, Bel Canto Vocal Scholarship Foundation, Dimitri Mitropoulos International Competition for Singing, the John and Fern Armstrong Outstanding Performance Award and the Greek Women's University Club.  Ms. Chigas studied at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and at Boston University 's Opera Institute.

Upcoming engagements include Verdi’s Requiem with the Boston University Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Hall, Carmen in The Tragedy of Carmen with Boston Midsummer Opera, and the Second Maid in Strauss’ Elektra with the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Maestro Lorin Maazel.