Max Potter - Mezzo

Praised by Opera News for her "relish and energy" and hailed as a "virtuoso singing actor" (Voice Magazine), mezzo-soprano Max Potter is an engaging artist known for her expressive vocalism and dynamic presence across the operatic and concert stages.

OPERA & RECENT

Max opens the 2026/2027 season reprising the title role of Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana with Opera Southwest. Recent opera engagements include her role debuts as Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana and as Cherubino in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro with Opera Santa Barbara.

Further recent season highlights include Max's role debut as Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier with Pacific Northwest Opera, performances as Mercedes in Bizet's Carmen with Opera Santa Barbara.

CONCERT

In addition to her career on the operatic stage, Max's passion for symphonic repertoire has kept her in demand on the concert stage. In the 2025/2026 season she debuted as the alto soloist in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 with the Cal Poly Symphony, and debuted as the mezzo-soprano soloist in Verdi's Messa da Requiem with the San Luis Obispo Master Chorale, and in Max Bruch's Gruss an die heilige Nacht with the Westmont Orchestra & Choirs.

Other notable concert credits include Mendelssohn's Elijah at Washington National Cathedral, Mozart's Vesperae solennes de confessore and Amy Beach's Canticle of the Sun with the San Luis Obispo Master Chorale, Berlioz’s Les Nuits D’été with Opera Santa Barbara, Bruch's Gruss an die heilige Nacht with I Cantori di Carmel, and Handel's Messiah with the combined Westmont Symphony and Santa Barbara Symphony.

NEW MUSIC

Max has a deep passion for contemporary classical music. Most notably she gave the world premiere of Margaret Bonds’ ‘Women Have Loved Before as I Love Now’ for Opera Santa Barbara’s digital Noontime Concert Series. She was a resident artist with The American Opera Project's Composers & the Voice Fellowship where she gave world premiere performances of art songs and opera excerpts by both established and emerging composers. Max also sang the world premiere of ‘After the Sun Goes Down’ by Kerwin Young, workshopped the roles of Ruthie and Elenita in The House on Mango Street, and sang Jenny Reefer in The Mother of Us All for The Chautauqua Opera Company.

NOTABLE ROLES

Previous notable roles include Charlotte (Werther), Carmen (Carmen, Cover), Dorabella (Cosí fan tutte), Ortrud (Lohengrin, cover), Flosshilde (Das Rheingold), Fricka (Das Rheingold, cover), Ines (Il Trovatore), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Meg Page (Falstaff), La Ciesca and Nella (Gianni Schicchi), Ino and Juno (Semele, covers), Zweite Dame & Papagena (Die Zauberflöte), Clarina (La Cambiale di Matrimonio), Flora Bervoix (La Traviata), Jenny Reefer (The Mother of Us All), Anne (The Mother of Us All, cover)

PROGRAMS & AWARDS

Max is an alumna of young artist programs at The Aspen Opera Center, Des Moines Metro Opera, The Chautauqua Opera Company, Opera Santa Barbara, Opera Southwest, and received additional training at The Institute for Young Dramatic Voices. 

She has been named a semi-finalist for the Loren L. Zachary Competition, the Palm Springs Opera Guild Competition, the Premiere Opera Foundation & NYIOP Vocal Competition, and the Mildred Miller International Vocal Competition, and is a recipient of an Encouragement Award from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

Max holds a Master of Music degree from Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music and completed her undergraduate work at Northwestern University's Bienen School of Music.