ABOUT

As a former Palm Beach young artist, Mezzo-Soprano Irene Roberts has begun to dazzle opera audiences and critics alike throughout the country. This season and beyond, mezzo soprano Irene Roberts returns to the Palm Beach Opera as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, makes her Lyric Opera Baltimore debut as Siébel in Faust, performs the title role of Carmen at Fresno Opera, and returns to the Townsend Opera in the same role to make her debut.

Ms. Roberts’ recent opera engagements include joining the Metropolitan Opera roster as Stephano in Roméo et Juliette, Siébel in Faust with the North Carolina Opera, performing Mahler’s Ruckert Lieder at Duke University under the baton of Harry Davidson, Amore in Orfeo ed Euridice at Palm Beach Opera, two summer seasons at the Castleton Festival performing in Suor Angelica, The Beggar’s Opera and covering Miss Jessel in The Turn of the Screw. She made her debut at the Townsend Opera as Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia and as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly at the Opera Western Reserve. A recent graduate of the Palm Beach Opera’s Young Artist Program, Ms. Roberts performed on the main-stage as Emilia in Otello, Zerlina in Don Giovanni and Mercédès in Carmen. Her cover assignments included Maddalena in Rigoletto and Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro. She also performed Dorabella in Così fan Tutte, Nancy in Albert Herring and Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro for PBO’s One Opera in One Hour series. Ms. Roberts has appeared in concert with the Fairax Choral Society as a guest soloist in Wilberg’s Requiem and Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb led by the former Mormon Tabernacle Choir conductor, Craig Jessop.

A native of Sacramento, California, Ms. Roberts holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music in Stockton, California. She completed her graduate studies with a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music. She was granted institutional scholarships for both her undergraduate and graduate studies. Ms. Roberts has participated in summer training programs in San Francisco at BASOTI and in Salzburg at the University of Miami Frost School of Music at Salzburg College. Ms. Roberts recently won the 2nd place advanced division prize in the 41st Annual Palm Beach Opera Vocal Competition.