Myra Merritt

Myra Merritt, born January 12, 1949, in Washington, DC, is an American operatic soprano whose career has spanned Broadway, the Metropolitan Opera, and concert stages across Europe and the United States. She completed a Bachelor of Music at the Peabody Conservatory of Music and a Master of Music at the Catholic University of America before establishing herself as a prominent figure in both operatic and theatrical performance.

Merritt made her Broadway appearance in 1976 in Porgy and Bess, a production in which she would later reprise her association with the work at the Metropolitan Opera, performing the role of Clara. Her Met debut came in 1982, when she sang the Shepherd in Tannhäuser under the baton of James Levine. That relationship with the company continued through 1991 and encompassed a wide range of roles and productions. Among her Met appearances were L'enfant et les sortilèges, in which she portrayed the Fire in a production directed by John Dexter, and the company's Centennial Gala, where she performed the duet from Don Giovanni. She sang Musetta in La bohème opposite Plácido Domingo, took on the role of Antonia in Les contes d'Hoffmann conducted by Julius Rudel, and appeared as both Elvira in L'italiana in Algeri and Zerlina in Don Giovanni.

Beyond the Met, Merritt performed under conductors Sarah Caldwell and Mstislav Rostropovich, and her career took her to numerous cities and capitals throughout Europe and the United States. In 2007, Deutsche Grammophon released a DVD documenting her 1986 Metropolitan Opera performance in L'italiana in Algeri, a production staged by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle and conducted by Levine, in which Merritt appeared alongside Marilyn Horne.

Merritt has held a faculty position as Professor of Voice at Bowling Green State University in Ohio.