Education

Mezzo-Soprano

Also called a mezzo; the middle female voice similar to an oboe in range. A mezzo’s sound is often darker and warmer than a soprano’s. In opera, composers generally use a mezzo to portray older women, villainesses, seductive heroines, and sometimes even young boys. This is a special operatic convention, called a “trouser role” or a “pants role.” The mezzo’s normal range is from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above it.

Mezzo roles can be classified in several different ways, depending on the size and agility of voice needed to sing it. Below are three different kinds of mezzo roles. Click on the links to learn more and to watch samples of each.