Ellen
McLain is originally from Nashville, Tennessee. She was educated at The North
Carolina School of the Arts and The New England Conservatory in Boston where
she received her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees with Honors in Music. Ms.
McLain has worked with some of the world’s greatest conductors, including
Seiji Ozawa, Gerard Schwarz, and Gunther Schuller.On the concert stage she has appeared with the New York Choral Society,
the Antonia Brico Symphony in Denver, the Nashville Symphony, and Boston’s
Handel & Haydn Society, Cecelia Society, and Musica Viva performing works
ranging from Purcell’s KING ARTHUR to Mahler’s SYMPHONY NO. 4, Kurt
Weill’s FRAUENTANZ, and Samuel Barber’s KNOXVILLE: SUMMER OF 1915. In
Seattle, where she lives with her husband, composer and actor John Patrick
Lowrie, she has sung with the Northwest Boychoir, premiering Rick Vale’s
MASS, with Orchestra Seattle in Handel's oratorios SAMSON and L’ALLEGRO ED
IL PENSEROSO, and with the Northwest Sinfonietta in Mozart’s REQUIEM.
Ms. McLain's opera credits include HANSEL AND GRETEL with Sarah Caldwell's
Opera NewEngland, Adina
in L’ELISIR D’AMORE with New Orleans Opera, Norina
in DON PASQUALE with Chattanooga Opera, and she has created the roles of The Social Worker in Anthony Davis' opera X, THE LIFE AND TIMES OF
MALCOLM X at the American Music Theatre Festival in Philadelphia, and Sophia
in Stan Hoffman’s opera TWILIGHT VOICES at Chaspen Opera. With Seattle Opera
she has sung principal roles in THE BALLAD OF BABY DOE, THE MERRY WIDOW, THE
CUNNING LITTLE VIXEN, MADAMA BUTTERFLY, LA TRAVIATA, DIE FLEDERMAUS, LAKME,and Mimi in THE BOHEMIANS, a
modern adaptation of LA BOHEME.Her
association with Tacoma Opera includes principal roles in DIE FLEDERMAUS,
CARMEN, ROMEO AND JULIET, DIDO AND AENEAS, and most recently Musetta
in LA BOHEME and Despina in COSI FAN
TUTTE.
Equally at home in theater and musical comedy,Ms. McLain has played Magnolia in SHOW BOAT to sold-out houses in Europe, performed on
Broadway in MY FAIR LADY with Sir Rex Harrison and with Peggy Lee in her show,
PEG.She has toured nationally in
CAMELOT with Richard Harris, and with Juliet Prowse in MAME.Northwest audiences may recall her as Glinda in THE WIZARD OF OZ, or as the tap dancing, sax
playing Madame Pavlenko in A DAY IN HOLLYWOOD at the Fifth Avenue Theater.In 2001 she toured nationally as Edith
in THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK and performed the role of Hannah
Mae in A COUPLA WHITE CHICKS..., and this Spring she portrayed Linda Loman on Montana Rep’s national tour ofDEATH OF A SALESMAN.An
award winner from the National Institute for Music Theater in Washington, D.C.
she has also had the honor of performing at The White House.
