Manon
ABOUT ELLIE
Beloved by critics and audiences alike, american soprano Ellie Dehn has shared her exceptional skills with many of the world's finest opera houses and orchestras, including the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Royal Opera House, Bayerische Staatsoper, San Francisco Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Houston Grand Opera, San Diego Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Santa Cecilia, and the opera houses of Geneva, Rome, and Bologna. Hailed for her versatility, she revels in productions and oratorio work encompassing an exceptionally broad repertoire, and she has emerged as a specialist in works by Mozart.
“Anoka native Ellie Dehn, her innocence touched with guile, is a radiant Mimi; hers is a voice of enveloping warmth and richness. In her death scene, played with artful simplicity, more than one tear rolled down my hardened critical cheek.”
La Boheme
Rusalka
Manon
Manon
2026-2027
Ellie’s upcoming season brings her to leading stages across the country, beginning with the New World Symphony in Miami for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in performances honoring the life of Michael Tilson Thomas. She returns to Lyric Opera of Kansas City as the Countess—one of her signature roles—in Le nozze di Figaro, and joins the Seattle Symphony for Mozart’s Requiem.
At home in Minnesota, Ellie is especially proud to take on the newly created role of Repertory Artist Faculty at Minnesota Opera, performing the leading roles of Ginevra in Handel’s Ariodante and Alice Ford in Verdi’s Falstaff, while also teaching and mentoring the company’s Resident Artists. “This company believed in me at the very start of my career,” she says. “Coming back now to make and share music with our resilient Minnesota community feels like a true homecoming.” She also joins the Minnesota Orchestra for one of her most cherished orchestral works, Samuel Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915.
Recent Seasons
In recent seasons, soprano Ellie Dehn has continued her longstanding relationship with the Metropolitan Opera in an expansive range of repertoire. In 2024–25, she sang Also Jess in Jeanine Tesori and George Brant’s Grounded, broadcast worldwide through the Met’s Live in HD series; the opera’s recording subsequently received a Grammy nomination for Best Opera Recording. She also covered the title role in Salome, Antonia and Stella in The Tales of Hoffmann, and Musetta in La bohème. On the concert stage, Dehn joined the Houston and Nashville Symphonies for Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, including a Houston performance conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas; appeared with the New Choral Society in Handel’s Israel in Egypt; and sang Soprano I in Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang with the Oregon Symphony. She was also a featured guest with A Prairie Home Companion in Bethesda and at Tanglewood during its 50th Anniversary Touring Season.
In 2025–26, Dehn returned to the Met as Estelle Kavalier in the world premiere of Mason Bates and Gene Scheer’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, a success so notable that the company added four additional performances later that season. She also covered Musetta in La bohème at the Met and the title role in Strauss’s Salome at Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Career Highlights
Ellie Dehn is internationally celebrated for her portrayals of Strauss’ Arabella and Massenet’s Manon, roles that have become the defining pillars of her career. She brought these title roles to life to critical acclaim at San Francisco Opera, establishing herself as a leading soprano on the international stage. In addition, she has performed all three Mozart/Da Ponte heroines—the Countess (Le nozze di Figaro), Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), and Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte)—as well as Musetta in La bohème and Micaela in Carmen at San Francisco Opera.
She has appeared at the world’s leading opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, where she made her company debut at age 27 as Marguerite in Faust in the Met in the Parks program, and later debuted on the main stage as Mrs. Naidoo in Philip Glass’ Satyagraha. She subsequently returned to the Met as Musetta in Franco Zeffirelli’s iconic La bohème, and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni. At Teatro alla Scala in Milan, she debuted as Antonia in Les Contes d’Hoffmann and returned as Musetta, in the same Zefferelli production (with a faster horse!). At the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, she debuted as the Countess in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro in Sir David McVicar’s celebrated production conducted by Ivor Bolton, broadcast live to cinemas worldwide.
Ms. Dehn’s international career spans major houses and festivals, including Bayerische Staatsoper (Donna Anna), Teatro Massimo di Palermo (Donna Elvira), Spoleto Festival USA (Donna Elvira), Grand Théâtre de Genève (Agathe, Countess Almaviva in Figaro Gets a Divorce), Rome’s Teatro dell’Opera (Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream), San Diego Opera (Alice Ford, Donna Anna and Mimi) Opera Colorado (Donna Elvira, Countess), Arizona Opera (Mimì), Michigan Opera Theater (Donna Anna), Minnesota Opera (Juliette, Mimi and Lady Billows), Houston Grand Opera (Countess) Lyric Opera of Kansas City (Rusalka), Santa Fe Opera (Rosaura in Life is a Dream), and the Bard SummerScape Festival (Euryanthe, Henry VIII). She performed Fiordiligi at Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, and Anne Truelove in The Rake’s Progress at both Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and Teatro Comunale di Bologna under Daniele Gatti. She also performed Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus with the Seiji Ozawa Music Academy in Tokyo, and Kyoto. She sang Freia in Das Rheingold with LA Opera, as well as in a concert version with the Dallas Symphony.
Concert and Orchestral Highlights
On the concert stage, Ms. Dehn has been a featured soloist with leading orchestras and festivals worldwide. Highlights include Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Dallas Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Cincinnati May Festival (also performing Haydn’s The Seasons, Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice), Houston Symphony, and Nashville Symphony; Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with the Cincinnati May Festival, Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de México, and Milwaukee Symphony; Bach’s Magnificat, Mozart’s Mass in C minor, Vivaldi’s Gloria, and Haydn’s Harmoniemesse at Carnegie Hall; Messiaen’s Chants de Terre et de Tiel with the International Contemporary Ensemble at the Mostly Mozart Festival; Meyerbeer’s L’Africaine with the Opera Orchestra of New York, a special opportunity made possible by Eve Queler, who was a central mentor in Ms. Dehn’s operatic development and cultivated her career over many years; Handel’s Messiah with the Cleveland, New Jersey, Florida, and North Carolina Symphony Orchestras, as well as Elijah and the Messiah with the Florida Orchestra; Britten’s Spring Symphony with the Grant Park Music Festival and his War Requiem with the Dayton Philharmonic; Mozart’s Davide Penitente with Mainly Mozart San Diego; and Haydn’s Creation and Handel’s Messiah with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s at St. Thomas Church, New York.
Following her many stage and concert achievements, a memorable personal highlight came during a performance of Don Giovanni at the Met, when Garrison Keillor was in the audience. After a quick glance at the program, he realized they were both from Anoka, MN—a remarkable coincidence that led to a lasting connection. Since 2013, Ms. Dehn was honored to appear as a special guest on A Prairie Home Companion several times a year, joining performances at Town Hall in NYC, the Hollywood Bowl, Tanglewood, Washington DC, The Fitzgerald Theater, and many more.
In this next phase of her career as she also focuses on life beyond the stage, Miss Dehn now delights in covering a diverse array of roles, each process reigniting her love for performance. Roles covered at the Met include: Salome (Salome), Magda (La Rondine), Alice Ford (Falstaff), Musetta (La bohème), Antonia and Stella (Les contes d’Hoffmann), the Countess (Le nozze di Figaro), Rosalinde (Die Fledermaus), Konstanze (The Abduction from the Seraglio), and Aithra (Die ägyptische Helena) .
Ellie finds joy in teaching and inspiring the next generation of singers. She has been on the voice faculties of The University of MN and MacPhail School of Music and gives masterclasses and lectures nationwide. Follow this site for updates to work with Ellie as opportunities become available.
Ellie resides in Minneapolis with her daughter, Arabella and their new cat, Princess Charlotte Le Mew.
Discography
Ellie Dehn’s recordings include Ravel: Intimate Masterpieces, released on the Oberlin Music label and distributed by Naxos America. She can also be heard in live recordings of Saint-Saëns’ Henry VIII from the Bard SummerScape Festival, now released by Odyssey Opera, and Weber’s Euryanthe, also recorded live at Bard SummerScape. Her role in Grounded has been released by Deutsche Grammophon and is available on all streaming platforms.
DISCOGRAPHY
Her discography includes a chamber music project: Ravel- Intimate Masterpieces released on the Oberlin Music label and distributed by Naxos America, and live recordings of Henry VIII and Euryanthe, both of which are available on Itunes and Amazon.
HONORS AND AWARDS
Honors and awards include first place in the Gerda Lissner Competition, top prizes in the Licia Albanese and Elardo International Opera Competitions, and a Grand Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera’s National Council Auditions. In 2007, Ms. Dehn was also a winner of the George London Competition and was subsequently chosen to do a joint recital with the legendary bass-baritone Samuel Ramey.