Praised for her “striking visual presence” and “glorious voice,” mezzo-soprano Madeleine Lyon is enchanting audiences on the operatic stage. A graduate of the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program at Los Angeles Opera, she has performed with leading companies and orchestras across the country.

In 2026, Ms. Lyon joined the Metropolitan Opera roster as a cover for Frida Image 2 in Gabriela Lena Frank’s El último sueño de Frida y Diego. She has also been featured extensively with Los Angeles Opera, where her performances include Giovanna in Rigoletto, Alisa in Lucia di Lammermoor in a new production co-produced with the Metropolitan Opera, Bianca in The Rape of Lucretia, Genevieve/Yniold in Impressions of Pelléas, and Bithia in Moses by Henry Mollicone. In 2025, she covered Lorca in Ainadamar and performed Giovanna in Rigoletto. During her time in the Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist Program, she also appeared as Frida Image 2 in Gabriela Lena Frank’s El último sueño de Frida y Diego and in Zemlinsky’s Der Zwerg.

Ms. Lyon made her solo debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel at the Hollywood Bowl. As a Gerdine Young Artist with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, she covered Sesto and performed Nireno in Handel’s Julius Caesar. As a fellow at the Ravinia Steans Music Institute, she appeared on numerous recitals and concerts, including a master class led by conductor Marin Alsop and a jazz concert curated by Grammy Award-winning singer Kurt Elling.

Previous operatic roles include Zerlina in Don Giovanni, the title role in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges, and Taller Zegner in Missy Mazzoli’s Proving Up. Equally passionate about oratorio and concert work, she has been featured as mezzo-soprano soloist in Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, and selections from the Verdi Requiem. She has also performed Zemlinsky’s Op. 13 with James Conlon for the Ziering-Conlon Initiative for Recovered Voices.

Ms. Lyon holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Rice University. Outside of music, she is an avid painter and enjoys spending time with her grey tabby cat, Pickle.

“Madeleine Lyon . . . showed the warmth and moral ambiguity required for the role but also found humor in it. Her creamy but clarion-clear mezzo was impressive.”