Winona Martin, Mezzo-soprano
Hailing from Dallas, Texas, mezzo-soprano Winona Martin joined the Cafritz Young Artists of Washington National Opera for the 2023–2024 season. Praised for her “considerable acting skills” (OperaGene), in the 2022–2023 season, she was a Resident Artist with Utah Opera where she appeared as Countess Ceprano (Rigoletto) and The Teacher (The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs), as well as a Studio Artist with Wolf Trap Opera appearing as Mrs. McLean (Susannah) and covering Flora (La traviata). She also had concert debuts with the Utah Symphony in Handel’s Messiah and the City Choir of Washington in their presentation of Rossini’s Petite Messe Solenelle. She’s found significant success in competition with organizations including the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition’s Rocky Mountain Region, the Denver Lyric Opera Guild, the National Opera Association’s Carolyn Bailey Argento competitions, and was the 1st place winner of Annapolis Opera’s 35th Annual Vocal Competition. In the summer of 2023, she returns to Wolf Trap Opera where she’ll cover Siebel (Faust) and Zerlina (Don Giovanni). Her past notable roles include Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro), Sesto (La Clemenza di Tito), and Nancy (Albert Herring). Winona completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Colorado - Boulder, and her graduate studies at Boston Conservatory at Berklee where she was honored as the Jost J. and Reine C. Fleck Opera Scholar.