Hilary Ginther
Project Details
Project Description
“…most notable was Hilary Ginther as Anne Boleyn: from the moment she stepped on-stage, she embodied Anne Boleyn’s every dramatic beat with pitch-perfect conviction, and her voice proved both tender and powerful: her Act II aria where she contemplates how Henry is considering making her his new queen very nearly stopped the show, and was one of the highlights of the evening” -Arturo Fernandez, Schmopera
Hilary Ginther
Mezzo Soprano
Hilary Ginther’s dramatic and vocal impact has been at the forefront of her career. In 2024-25 Hilary performs the title role in Carmen with Amarillo Opera, and Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana with Opera Louisiane. She began the 2023-2024 season as Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with Virginia Opera. She then returned to Musica Viva Hong Kong for Jane Seymour in Donizetti’s Anna Bolena, followed by Olga in Eugene Onegin and Sara in A Magic Flute Experience: The Temple, both for Opera Columbus, and the role of Emma Jones in Street Scene for Central City Opera.
Hilary’s other recent engagements include Emilia in Rossini’s Otello at Central City Opera, Elisabetta in Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda and Adalgisa in Bellini’s Norma both with Musica Viva in Hong Kong, Olga in Eugene Onegin with Opera Omaha, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with Fargo Moorhead Opera and Opera on the James, her debut for Odyssey Opera in Boston as Anne Boleyn in Saint-Saens’s Henry VIII, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with Maestro Joe Illick in Santa Fe, a house debut with Opera Columbus as Maddalena in Rigoletto, La Maestra delle Novizie in Suor Angelica with Opera Omaha, and her role debut as Joan of Arc in The Maid of Orléans with New Orleans Opera.
Prior to that Ms. Ginther sang the title role of Bizet’s Carmen for Fargo-Moorhead Opera and made her Fort Worth Opera debut as Judy Sinclair in the world premiere of Rachel Peters’ Companionship. Throughout the 2017–2018 season, Ms. Ginther made a series of auspicious debuts on both coasts. She joined MidAmerica Productions on a program of Haydn and Forrest for her Carnegie Hall debut, followed by her New York City Opera debut as Lureen in the US premiere of Charles Wuorinen’s Brokeback Mountain, and concluding with her Los Angeles Opera debut in a double bill of Gordon Getty’s operas Usher House and The Canterville Ghost. Ms. Ginther’s Philadelphia Orchestra debut was as a soloist in Bernstein’s MASS under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, which was recorded by Deutsche Grammophon and was internationally released in March 2018, in commemoration of the composer’s centenary.
Ms. Ginther displayed the range of her artistry as both Rosina in Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia and the imprisoned Vlasta in Mieczysław Weinberg’s The Passenger, both with Florida Grand Opera. Her New York appearances also include performances with the Center for Contemporary Opera in a double bill of Louis Andriessen’s Odysseus’ Women and Anaïs Nin, the 2017 local premiere of Carlisle Floyd’s Prince of Players, in which she created the buffa role of Lady Meresvale, and Sesto in La clemenza di Tito, a role in which Ms. Ginther “made a tremendous impression… a big voice and an actor who could meet the role’s demands, doing so with style and dramatic meaning.”
Ms. Ginther has fulfilled young artist residencies with Florida Grand Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, and Opera Saratoga. Ms. Ginther is a 2019 Olga Forrai Foundation Grant recipient and has been awarded the Rosalind Jackson Memorial Award for Excellence from Crested Butte Music Festival. She holds a Master of Music degree from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music.