“As the muse who transforms herself into Hoffmann's friend Nicklausse, Elizabeth Batton acquitted herself admirably. Her arias drew the audience in with a variety of emotions and her humorous moments were equally well-received.”
– L.A. Daily News
One of the most promising young singers essaying the operatic repertoire, Elizabeth Batton was a grand winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 2003, she was the first recipient of the Alton E. Peters Award, and was delighted to join the Metropolitan Opera roster in 2003 for Schoenberg's Moses and Aaron.
Miss Batton opened her 2006-2007 season as Carmen with Indianapolis Opera, followed by the role of Suzuki in Madama Butterfly for her Washington Opera debut and further performances as Suzuki in Orlando. Miss Batton welcomes her first child in the fall of 2007 and will return to the stage as Evadne in Troilus and Cressida with the Opera Theatre of St. Louis and as Sara in Roberto Devereux at the Dallas Opera, Niklausse in Les Contes d’Hoffmann at the Boston Lyric Opera, and Maddalena in Rigoletto for the Arizona Opera.
Miss Batton opened the 2005-2006 season as Olga in Eugene Onegin at the Cleveland Opera. She joins the Dallas Opera for Ariadne auf Naxos, Les contes des Hoffmann, and Die Zauberfloete and returns to the St. Louis Opera as Mrs. Rochester in Jane Eyre.
In the fall 2004 Miss Batton portrayed the title role in Eva by Josef Foester at the Wexford Festival. Later in the 2004-2005 season she was heard as Olga in Eugene Onegin with the Boston Lyric Opera, was Dido in Dido and Aeneas with the NY Chamber Opera Orchestra, and was heard as Carmen with the South West Florida Philharmonic and the Beijing Philharmonic Orchestra.
In the 2002-03 season Miss Batton debuted at the Los Angeles Opera as Nicklausse/Muse in the all-star cast of Les contes des Hoffmann, she was also Hermia in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream at Pittsburgh Opera, and was praised for her first performance of Charlotte in The Indianapolis Opera's production of Werther. In the fall of 2003, she appeared with the Macau Festival and the Beijing International Music Festival as Die Dritte Dame and joined the Hong Kong Symphony Orchestra as the mezzo soloist. Also in the 2003-04 season she joined both the Lyric Opera of Kansas City and Opera North as Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
In recent seasons, Miss Batton has been heard with the American Symphony Orchestra in their recording of Die Aegyptische Helena and Bruckner's Mass in F Minor at Avery Fisher Hall. She has performed with Opera Pacific and Opera North as Olga in productions of Eugene Onegin, and with the National Opera du Rhin in Strasbourg as Die Dritte Dame in Die Zauberfloete, which was telecast throughout Europe, and was heard with the American Composers Orchestra as Iras in Barber's Antony and Cleopatra at Carnegie Hall.
Miss Batton made her professional operatic debut in the summer of 2000 as the title role of Carmen with the Utah Festival Opera, followed quickly by her debut at the New York City Opera as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, Maddalena in Rigoletto, and as Linetta in Love for Three Oranges, and appearances as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro and as Nicklausse/ Muse/Antonia's Mother in Les contes des Hoffmann with the Orlando Opera, in addition to portraying the role of Lady Essex in Central City Opera's North American premiere of Britten's Gloriana.
Miss Batton made her concert debut at Lincoln Center in 1998 with the American Symphony Orchestra as Ruth in the North American revival of The Eternal Road by Kurt Weill. Other roles have included Polinesso in Handel's Ariodante and Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus. Additional concert engagements have included the mezzo soloist in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony at the Cathedral for St. John the Divine's New Years Eve Gala. Ms.Batton has been featured as a soloist with the Monadnock Symphony and the Chautauqua Opera Theatre.
Miss Batton was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, received her Masters Degree of Music from Manhattan School of Music and completed her undergraduate degree at Millikin University. She was a winner of the Licia Albanese-Puccini Competition and of the Career Builders Competition, in addition to being a finalist of the Loren Zachary Competition.