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Reegan McKenzie, dramatic
soprano, has received critical acclaim for her “bright, full
voice’ as well as for her “great flexibility”. Her voice has
been called “well- focused with a natural fullness.” As an
actress, she is credited with being “high-spirited”, “real flesh
and blood” and “Believable from deep love to real pain.” Ms.
McKenzie’s professional credits include the title roles of
Tosca, Madam Butterfly, Luisa Miller, and the Merry Widow, as
well as performing the female leads in Don Carlo, Macbeth, Don
Giovanni, (both Anna and Elvira), Amahl and the Night Visitors,
Die Fledermaus, I Pagliacci, La Boheme, Norma, Suor Angelica, as
well as leads in original opera works. Ms. McKenzie has toured
extensively with San Francisco Opera Center’s Western Opera
Theater, and has performed with Tulsa Opera, Des Moines Metro
Opera, Pocket Opera, Liederkranz Opera Theater, Di Capo Opera
Theater, Piccolo Opera of Philadelphia, as well as other
tri-state and regional companies. Of note, the soprano made her
successful Lincoln Center Debut with renowned bass Jerome Hines
and Ars Musica in Rossini’s Mose’. McKenzie was a fellow with
Opera Music Theater International. She was selected by Mr. Hines
to perform the role of “Martha” in his opera, I Am The Way,
which offered her a well received debut and the Bolshoi Opera in
Moscow, Russia and a recent CD recording of the role. In
competition, she has been regional finalist numerous times in
the Metropolitan Opera National council Auditions, took second
place at the Liederkranz Foundation Competition and was a winner
of the 2nd Annual Association for Verismo Opera Competition.
 Ms. McKenzie’s directing career began while in college. She has
directed numerous university opera productions, along with her
singing career. She directs and coaches through out the year,
most recently La Boheme, and Gianni Schicchi. Her productions
have been called crisp, pure theater, and innovative while
keeping the integrity of the pieces performed. She recently made
her directorial debut with Boheme Opera in Trenton, NJ., with
Lucia di Lammermoor where she received overwhelming critical
acclaim. In 2003 she was assistant director to Bernard Uzan, one
of Opera’s foremost directors, in Virginia Opera’s production of
Andrea Chenier.
Reegan will be returning to Boheme Opera next season for their
production of Carmen. She is also an active voice teacher,
dramatic coach and executive director of McKenzie/ Delavan Music
Studio and Productions, featuring Star-Maker workshops.
Reegan McKenzie’s 15 years of directing at the university level
as well as coaching acting, and teaching voice for the last four
years has given her a unique perspective. She approaches her
projects with a educational point of view, without being
condescending, knowing that each artist brings something
worthwhile to the table, even the most inexperienced. Pleasure
and accomplishment come for her, when an artist begins to trust
their own natural instincts, their movements becoming a part of
them rather than just blocking, and suddenly on stage there is a
level of reality, rather than stiff figures standing and
singing, which in the business today, there is NO room for. She
applies this same theory to teaching voice, technique should
lead to the performers true and best voice, not a manufactured
voice, the place it is the most beautiful, and the place it is
easiest to produce.
In the business field working for a Communications Consulting
Firm, (clients like American Express, Rockport, New York Life,
Warner-Lambert/Pfeizer) , she designed, planned and implemented
both a college level and high school level internship. Teaching
them elements of the business both practical and intuitive.
As Vice President of New York, New Jersey Alliance of Performing
Artists, she established a yearly competition and ran it. After
five years, there are 70 to 100 singers that end up singing for
the semi-finals.
Just this year, Reegan has designed and implemented a High
School Senior scholarship/grant program. For those who apply and
are awarded, they are commissioned with a recital fund raiser
for their upcoming college term, or their career training. We
currently have five participants.
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