Allyson McHardy

“McHardy has sumptuous mezzo tone, perfect French and noble bearing.”

OPERA NEWS

As Julie Riel in Louis Riel

“added the lustre of her beautiful mezzo-soprano to the powerful maternalism of her character.”

GLOBE AND MAIL

As Marguerite in Berlioz’s La Damnation de Faust

“In the abandoned Marguerite’s Romance McHardy sang beautifully with touching melancholy expression.”

CHICAGO CLASSICAL REVIEW

As Sara in Roberto Devereux

“Allyson McHardy sang her aria “All’afflitto è dolce il pianto” so beautifully that the applause nearly brought the opera to a halt as soon as it began.”

OPERA NEWS

As Ruggiero in Alcina

“… her warm amber-coloured contralto only grew in power and richness until a fantastically vital, swaggering account of “Sta nell’ircana pietrosa tana” filled with thrilling runs sealed her triumph in the role. It deservedly won the longest ovation of the evening.”

OPERA NEWS

“McHardy has sumptuous mezzo tone, perfect French and noble bearing.”

OPERA NEWS

News

Review: Ligeti’s Requiem with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam

Sep 28, 2014

It is an absolutely extraordinary experience to hear the work live, it was one of the most beautiful – but at the same time the most terrifying – pieces of music I have ever heard in a concert hall. From the opening notes onwards Ligeti creates an atmosphere of anxiety, an atmosphere that is overwhelmingly intense and captivating. In the Dies irae, soloists Jane Archibald and Allyson McHardy both shone in their roles with plenty of vocal acrobatics, McHardy being particularly impressive with her warm sound.” (Bachtrack, 28 September) Read the full review on the Bachtrack website.

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Allyson with the Amsterdam Concertgebouw

Sep 20, 2014

Allyson is in Amsterdam preparing for performances of Ligeti’s Requiem with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Jonathan Nott on September 25, 26 & 28. For more information visit the Concertgebouw website

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Videos

Allyson McHardy: Resurrection

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Calendar

  • Cinderella : Massenet
  • Calgary Opera : Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
  • 29 Jan 2027 - 6 Feb 2027
  • Beethoven's Ninth Symphony
  • Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra Jack Singer Concert Hall
  • 20 Mar 2027
  • all events

    • Photos

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    About

    A unique vocal colour and commanding stage presence are the hallmarks of performances by mezzo-soprano Allyson McHardy. Hailed by Joshua Kosman of the San Francisco Chronicle as  “a singer of enormous imagination and versatility”, she has appeared with the Paris Opera, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Chicago Symphony,  Toronto Symphony, Glyndebourne Festival, San Francisco Opera,  Boston Symphony, Canadian Opera Company, Warsaw Philharmonic and Théâtre du Capitole, Toulouse. Adam Fischer, Seiji Ozawa, Jeremy Rohrer, Kent Nagano, Emmanuelle Haim, Bernard Labadie, Ludovic Morlot, Carlos Kalmar and Jesus Lopez Cobos are among the conductors with whom she has collaborated for performances of works such as L’enfant et les sortileges, La clemenza di Tito, Das Rheingold, Dream of Gerontius and Messiah.

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    Latest Album

    Handel: Messiah (Live in Chicago)

    Handel: Messiah

    Music of the Baroque Orchestra

    Recorded live in November 2021, Handel’s Messiah features the Music of the Baroque Chorus and Orchestra and soloists Sherezade Panthaki, soprano, Allyson McHardy, mezzo-soprano, Brian Giebler, tenor, and Matthew Brook, bass-baritone under the direction of Nicholas Kraemer.