The mezzo-soprano is known for mastery of repertoire from baroque to contemporary
“And what to say about the Azucena of the American mezzo, Ann McMahon Quintero? In turn loving and sensitive, fierce and provocative, raw but generous, served by a haunting timbre throughout the tessitura, she will remain the true revelation of a show noted for its effectiveness.” — Le Soir
Athlone Artists is pleased to welcome mezzo-soprano Ann McMahon Quintero to its roster of opera and concert artists, conductors and stage directors. A true singing actor, Ms. Quintero has never known a life without an audience to entertain. From her early days as a an instrumentalist, chorister and dancer, she has evolved into a mezzo-soprano who enjoys a career on the operatic and concert stage where her rich voice has been praised for “warm, honeyed tones” (Baltimore Sun), and “fully nuanced” portrayals of characters ranging from Verdi’s Amneris, Azucena and Mistress Quickly, to the Old Lady in Candide.
A 2006 recipient of the Sarah Tucker Study Grant from the Richard Tucker Music Foundation, the Illinois native was also a prize-winner in the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation International Vocal Competition; the George London Foundation; Sullivan Foundation and a semi-finalist in Plácido Domingo’s Operalia. Ann McMahon Quintero was a 2002 Grand National Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
An active oratorio performer, Ms. Quintero performs the Verdi Requiem as part of the worldwide tour of The Defiant Requiem Foundation, a passion project she holds close to her heart. Led by Maestro Murry Sidlin, The Defiant Requiem Foundation is dedicated to preserving the memory of the prisoners in Terezín during World War II, who, despite monumental suffering, disease, and the constant presence of death, found hope and inspiration in the arts and humanities.
Ms. Quintero’s operatic roles and concert repertoire range from Handel operas and Messiah to Verdi’s Requiem and operatic mezzo roles to Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 and Britten’s Spring Symphony. She is a frequent soloist at Boston Baroque where she worked with Athlone Artists’s Miguel Rodriguez for several years when he was Executive Director of that institution.“Miguel really believes in me,” says Ms. Quintero. “He knows how to match people with projects and how to promote the artists he is genuinely excited about. Miguel presents artists as individuals, not as cogs in a machine, so I know he will be stumping for artists like me.”
“Ann is special to me,” says Rodriguez. “I love the range of her instrument. She is as comfortable inhabiting Ulrica in Ballo un Maschera as she is singing a Messiah or Giulio Cesare. That voice covers the gamut from Baroque all the way through to contemporary music. It is so unique that she can do that so fluently. And she’s just really cool,” he laughs. “I am so pleased she is joining the roster of Athlone Artists, and I am excited about the possibilities ahead for her.”
In an Athlone Artists Beyond the Bio conversation, Ann McMahon Quintero talks about digging deep and finding her true voice.
