VITA:

Heralded by Opera News for her “lush” voice, Melina Jaharis is a Greek-American with a “rich, dark, resonant” mezzo soprano.

Highlights of her 2022-2023 include performing Mrs. Gibbs with the Boston Opera Institute, joining Sarasota Opera’s Young Artist Program and study covering Kate Pinkerton at Sarasota Opera.

For her 2021-2022 season, roles included singing the title role of Carmen with MIOpera, the world premiere as the title role of Charley in Good Country with LOLA Austin, Isabella in Zandonai's Giulietta e Romeo with Teatro Grattacielo as well as covering Bellx and Calypso in Nighttown with Lowell House Opera.

Equally comfortable speaking German and English, she studied in Vienna, Austria at the Konservatorium Prayner in the year before her graduate studies

In the 2019-2020 season, she performed Hannah after (As One) with the Carolina Performing Arts in Chapel Hill, NC. Soon after she would have covered Leonore (Fidelio) with the Oxford Philharmonic [covid cancellation] and she would have made her European debut performing As One in Lisbon, Portugal [covid]. 

In 2018, Melina trained as a Studio Artist at the Wolf Trap Opera Company where she performed the role of the Contessa di Ceprano (Rigoletto) and covered Maddalena. 

Other role studies and performances include Gertrude, Mimì and Contessa Almaviva, Anna Maurrant and Fiordiligi with the Martina Arroyo Role Prep Class.  She have recently been seen as or prepared the following roles: Alcina, Vitellia (La Clemenza di Tito), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Maurya (Riders to the Sea) and Ma Moss (The Tender Land). 

 She graduated in 2020 with a PDPL from Mannes, in 2018 with an MM from Northwestern University under the tutelage of W. Stephen Smith and in 2015 with a BM from Lawrence University. 

Past training includes: Wolf Trap Opera Company, Brevard Music Center's Janiec Opera Company, AIMS in Graz, Konservatorium Prayner (Vienna, Austria), Midwest Institute of Opera, Manhattan Opera Studio, Miami University in Salzburg, La Musica Lirica, IES in Vienna and the Music Institute of Chicago.

She has trained at the Piven Theater and Giordano dance studio as well.

Melina has trained as a singer, actor and dancer from age 8. Since the age of 4, she has studied many foreign languages, such as Greek, Italian, French, German and Russian. 

Melina Jaharis is queer and non-binary (she/they). She support many causes that fight to end social injustices, such as Black Lives Matter (Black Liberation), Trans Liberation and Fat Liberation.

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