Ilanna Starr

Praised for her “lovely mezzo voice” (Berkshire Fine Arts) and “dramatically incisive” stage presence (Parterre Box), Canadian-American Ilanna Starr joins the Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal in the 2023-24 season. Role highlights include Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel) with Opera McGill, Nerone (L’incoronazione di Poppea) with the Halifax Summer Opera Festival, Dorabella (Così fan tutte) with Quisisana, and Melissa (La liberazione di Ruggiero) with dell’Arte Opera Ensemble in New York City. Ilanna has received training at SongFest, Chautauqua Institute, and was recently recognized with an Encouragement Award at the 2022 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. In 2023, she was named a Wirth Vocal Prize finalist in addition to being a laureate with the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques of the Théâtre Lyrichorégra. Interested in exploring diverse human experiences through art music, Starr has curated and performed collaborative recitals centered around voices of women, domestic violence, and the resilience of Jewish culture during the Holocaust and throughout the 20th century. She holds degrees from Vanderbilt University, Northwestern University, and McGill University.

Member of the Atelier lyrique de l'Opéra de Montréal, Ilanna Starr is generously sponsored by Elizabeth Wirth.