Praised for her “formidable aplomb” (Le Devoir) and “lovely mezzo voice” (Berkshire Fine Arts), Canadian-American mezzo-soprano Ilanna Starr has just completed a two-year artist residency with the Atelier lyrique of Opéra de Montréal (OdM). She is currently a vocal fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center where among many highlights this summer, she makes her debut as the title role in L’enfant et les sortilèges.

Role highlights of recent seasons include her mainstage debut with OdM as Flora Bervoix (La traviata), Sesto (La clemenza di Tito) under the direction of Stephen Lawless, the Baker’s Wife (Into the Woods) with Opera North, Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro) with the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera, Mercédès (Carmen) with l’Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières, and Nerone (L’incoronazione di Poppea) with OdM and Orchestre de l’Agora.

Since becoming a regional finalist and two-time award winner at the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition at the start of last year, Ilanna has gone on to become a semifinalist in the 2024 Hans Gabor Belvedere Competition and has been awarded prizes in competitions held by the National Opera Association, Nuits Lyriques de Marmande, and the National Society of Arts & Letters, among many others. A three-time laureate of the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques, she has received support from Théâtre Lyrichorégra and Jeunesses Musicales Canada.

Passionate about exploring diverse human experiences through song, she has curated and performed recital programs centered on women’s voices, domestic violence, and Jewish resilience during the Holocaust and beyond. She has trained at SongFest and Chautauqua, and holds degrees from Vanderbilt, Northwestern, and McGill. A lover of dogs, yoga, and Baroque rage arias, Ilanna digs singing from her heart and laughing from her belly (and vice versa).