Kirsten MacKinnon
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Imogen Lewis Holland (Managing Director):
Praised as “luscious,” “amber-toned,” and “dazzling” by Opera News, American mezzo- soprano Samantha Hankey is quickly establishing a name for herself both at home and abroad. In the 2019/20 season, Samantha joined the ensemble of the Bayerische Staatsoper, where she made her role and house debut as Hänsel Hänsel und Gretel.
She continues her residency in Munich for the 2020-21 season, where she reprises the roles of Wellgunde Das Rheingold and Zweite Dame Die Zauberflöte and makes her role debut as Octavian in their new production of Der Rosenkavalier, directed by Barrie Kosky and conducted by Vladimir Jurowski. Other highlights of her upcoming seasons include exciting returns to the Metropolitan Opera, where she will debut the role of Prince Charming in Massenet’s Cendrillion among others.
Samantha’s abridged 2019/20 season featured numerous role reprisals with the Bayerische Staatsoper in addition to her house debut with The Dallas Opera in the role of Zweite Dame. In the 2018/19 season, Samantha made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Pantalis Mefistofele and returned to the Met throughout the year in Adriana Lecouvreur, Carmen, Das Rheingold, Götterdämmerung, and Rigoletto, debuting a myriad of named roles in her first season at the Met. She also travelled to Turku, Finland to renew the title role in Handel’s Agrippina in concert with Il Pomo d’Oro, where she was praised by Turun Sanomat for her “marvellously rich mezzo.”
Other highlights of Samantha’s recent seasons include major role and house debuts at Opernhaus Zürich, Den Norske Opera Oslo, and the Grand Théâtre de Genève.
Showreel
Reviews
2nd Lady, Mozart's The Magic Flute
Samantha Hankey, conducted by Emmanuel Villaume
The Dallas Opera, Texas, USA
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Siébel, Gounod's Faust
Samantha Hankey, conducted by Michel Plasson
Grand Théâtre de Genève
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Rosina, Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia
Samantha Hankey, conducted by Roberto Benzi
Den Norske Oper
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OPERA
George BIZET
Micaela Carmen
Benjamin BRITTEN
Helena A Midsummer Nights' Dream
Leos JANÁČEK
The Cunning Little Vixen (title role)
Jules MEYERBEER
Inès L'Africaine
WA MOZART
Elektra Idomeneo
Fiordiligi Cosi fan tutte
Countess Le nozze di Figaro
First Lady The Magic Flute
Donna Anna Don Giovanni
Francis POULENC
Blanche Les Dialogues des Carmelites
Giacomo PUCCINI
Musetta La Bohème
Richard STRAUSS
Marschallin Der Rosenkavalier
Countess Capriccio
Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY
Iolanta (title role)
Tatyana Eugene Onegin
Richard WAGNER
Eva Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Franz LEHÁR
Hanna Glawari The Merry Widow
Competitions
2017 The Metropolitan Opera National Council (Grand Finals Winner)
2015 Gerda Lissner International Vocal Competition (2nd place)
2015 Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation Vocal Competition (Grant Winner)
2015 Canadian Music Competition, Montreal (Winner)
2015 Classical Singer magazine's Voice Competition (Winner)