Biography
Miriam Schildkret is currently an Arizona Opera Ambassador, performing in community engagement events, presenting lectures and participating in the ensemble of mainstage productions. Schildkret was most recently seen in Arizona Opera's production of Le nozze di Figaro, where she was a Bridesmaid and covered the role of Cherubino. Previous roles with OperaTunity include the title role in Cinderella, Third Lady/Papagena in The Mini-Magic Flute, Hansel in Hansel and Gretel and The Sea Witch in Rusalka: The Littlest Mermaid.
Schildkret has also participated in several Young Artist programs outside of Arizona. In the summer of 2019, she was an Apprentice Artist at Opera NEO in San Diego, where she performed Tisbe in La Cenerentola and participated in local cabaret and opera scenes performances. She was an Apprentice Artist with Ash Lawn Opera in 2016, where she performed in the ensemble of South Pacific and participated in a number of community performances. Other favorite roles include Dorabella in Così fan tutte, the title role in Dido and Aeneas, Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus, Third Lady in The Magic Flute, Kate in Benjamin Britten’s Owen Wingrave, and Estrella in La Périchole.
In addition to her work on the operatic stage, Schildkret has also performed as the mezzo-soprano soloist in a number of major works, including Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Beethoven’s Mass in C Major, and Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass. She is a frequent soloist with the Mount Desert Summer Chorale in Bar Harbor, Maine, and performs in many concerts and recitals across the state of Arizona. She has sung in concerts with the Grand Canyon Music Festival, the Voices of Vienna, Scottsdale United Methodist Church, and at the Universidad de Los Andes in Mérida, Venezuela.
A strong supporter of the arts in the valley, Schildkret has become a local spokesperson for opera and motivational speaker in the Phoenix area. She was featured in the Arizona PBS series Desert Canvas, a collection of stories about local artists and their impact on the community. Schildkret also was a speaker with TEDx Scottsdale Women, where she spoke about how opera builds confidence and empowers women. Beginning in August 2020, Schildkret has been presenting the Virtual Masterclass Series with Arizona Opera, speaking with students across the nation about health and performance anxiety. She was the keynote speaker for Arizona Music Educators Association Regional Concerts, and was a lecturer for the “Coffee at Kerr” series with Arizona State University and Arizona Opera. She is a co-owner of High Note Performance, an organization that brings elite coaching techniques previously used in traditional athletics into the world of the performing arts.
Schildkret is a graduate of Arizona State University, where she received her M.M. in Opera Performance in 2014 and her D.M.A. in Voice Performance in 2017. She graduated summa cum laude from Ithaca College in 2012 with a B.M. in Voice Performance. She studied with Carole FitzPatrick during her graduate work, and with David Parks at Ithaca College. She currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her husband, Ted, their dog (Groot) and two cats (Oliver and Pip).
Behind the Scenes
