About

“A soprano from Colorado who owns one of the coolest names in opera—in show business: Tessa McQueen” has been praised for her “powerful acting and skill at directing the eye” (New Criterion/Parterre Box). As an emerging lyric soprano, Tessa has garnered top prizes from the Jensen Foundation, the Cooper-Bing Competition, the Premiere Opera Foundation, and The Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, establishing herself as a rising talent in the operatic world.
She makes an exciting return to Wolf Trap Operafor the Summer of 2026 to sing Floria Tosca in Puccini’s beloved masterpiece Tosca. In September of this year, she will present a varied program of music in the Sag Harbor Song Festivallead by Artistic Director Brad Woolbright and Music Director Robert Tweten. And in the Spring of 2027, McQueen will make her European debut as Helmwige in Wagner’s Die Walküre in the Osterfestspiele Salzburg with the Berlin Philharmonic and the great Kirill Petrenko conducting.
A recent graduate of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Programwith The Metropolitan Opera, she made her debut as Countess Ceprano in Rigoletto. This past season saw her as First Lady in The Magic Flute, Annina in La Traviata, and Helen (cover) in The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. In the 24-25 season McQueen sang the High Priestess in Aida, Countess Ceprano in Rigoletto, and Chloë (cover) in Pique Dame.
She recently appeared in The Metropolitan Opera’s collaboration with the City Parks Foundation Summerstage Recital Series across New York City in both 2026 and 2025. The summer of 2025 saw her covering Freihild in Strauss’ Guntram with the American Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.
McQueen joined the prestigious Merola Opera Program for the summer of 2024, covering Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni and performing as Nedda in a selected scene from Pagliacci for the Schwabacher Summer Scenes Concert. She also appeared in selected scenes for the summer season Grand Finale on stage at the War Memorial Opera House.
She spent her 2023 summer at Wolf Trap Opera as a Studio Artist where she covered Marguerite in Faust. She sang in the chorus of Semele and Faust and performed Elettra (Idomeneo), Alice Ford (Falstaff), and Marschallin (Der Rosenkavalier) in the Studio Spotlight Scenes program.
In the spring of 2024, she was named a National Finalist in The Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition after winning the Colorado-Wyoming District and Rocky Mountain Region. Previously, she was a Tulsa District Winner in 2022 and 2023, placing 3rd in the Midwest Region in 2022, and received a Tulsa District Encouragement Award in 2020. She also holds awards from the Gerda Lissner Foundation, the SAS Vocal Competition, the Palm Springs Opera Guild Competition, and the Denver Lyric Opera Guild Competition for Colorado singers.
She joined Central City Opera in their 2022 season to sing Krystyna Zywulska in the newly edited premiere of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s Two Remain (Out of Darkness). McQueen was selected to be a season sponsored Young Artist by the El Pomar Foundation while in residence. She then received the coveted Young Artist Award at the end of the season.
On the concert stage, McQueen will debut with the National Symphony Orchestra in August of 2026 as the Soprano Soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. This performance will be conducted by the great Gianandrea Noseda. She debuted with the Washington City Choir, in D.C. in January 2024, as the Soprano II Soloist for Mozart’s Grand C-minor Mass. This performance was conducted by Erin Freeman. McQueen performed as the Soprano Soloist with the Rice Chorale in John Rutter’s Requiem, led by Tom Jaber and Dr. Andrea Jaber in a 9/11 memorial tribute in 2022.
While in attendance at Rice University, McQueen sang the Female Chorus in The Rape of Lucretia by Benjamin Britten conducted by Benjamin Manis and directed by R.B. Schlather. This production was a double bill of Dido and Aeneas and The Rape of Lucretia in the Morrison Theatre at the Brockman Hall for Opera. In the spring of 2023, she sang the title role of Poppea in L'incoronazione di Poppea by Monteverdi conducted by Gary Thor Wedow and directed by Jennifer Williams.
In 2020, McQueen was an Opera-To-Go Young Artist with Opera Saratoga. She sang the roles of Jack’s Mother and the Giant’s Wife in their outreach touring production of Jack and The Beanstalk adapted by John Davies.
McQueen received her Master of Music degree in Voice Performance from Rice University (‘24). She studied with Nova Thomas and coached with Tom Jaber as well as Bethany Self, Alex Munger, Lyndsi Maus, Nino Sanikidze, and Luke Housner while in attendance. She received her Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Oklahoma City University (‘19), graduating with honors. She studied with Larry Keller while in attendance and coached with Jan McDaniel and Chuck Koslowske.
She is currently based in New York City.
Photos by Dario Acosta. .

About

She recently appeared in The Metropolitan Opera’s collaboration with the City Parks Foundation Summerstage Recital Series across New York City in both 2026 and 2025. The summer of 2025 saw her covering Freihild in Strauss’ Guntram with the American Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.

She spent her 2023 summer at Wolf Trap Opera as a Studio Artist where she covered Marguerite in Faust. She sang in the chorus of Semele and Faust and performed Elettra (Idomeneo), Alice Ford (Falstaff), and Marschallin (Der Rosenkavalier) in the Studio Spotlight Scenes program.

In 2020, McQueen was an Opera-To-Go Young Artist with Opera Saratoga. She sang the roles of Jack’s Mother and the Giant’s Wife in their outreach touring production of Jack and The Beanstalk adapted by John Davies.

She is currently based in New York City.