Brunet Conducts Mahler’s Resurrection

Renowned as a conductor of “uncommon emotional intensity” (Marie-Celine) and a “force at the podium” (Eugene Scene), American conductor Mélisse Brunet is a native of Paris, France with an active career on both sides of the Atlantic. In July 2022, she became the fifth Music Director of the Lexington Philharmonic, and the first woman to hold the position.

Brunet is one of the five conductors featured in the documentary “Maestra” by the Director Maggie Contreras. As a dynamic advocate of contemporary music, Brunet has collaborated with composers such as Shawn E. Okpebholo, Brittany J. Green, Mary D. Watkins, T.J. Cole, Steven Stucky, Michael Daugherty, Shulamit Ran, and Jennifer Higdon, among others.

She holds diplomas from the Paris Conservatory, the Université la Sorbonne, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and a Doctorate in conducting from the University of Michigan.

Learn more at lexphil.org/music-director.

The Lexington Singers have been performing quality choral music including major works in central Kentucky and around the world since 1959, making it one of the longest continuously performing independent community choirs in America.

Based in Lexington, Kentucky, The Lexington Singers provides opportunities for children, youth, and adults. The Adult Choir is comprised of more than 180 members. The Lexington Singers currently includes five choirs with over 300 voices total, including four children’s choirs, and an Orff Ensemble.

More at lexsing.org

Dejah Watts has been singing classically for six years and has performed a range of principal operatic roles, including Mrs. Nolan in Menotti’s The Medium, Mrs. McLean in Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah, and Harriet Eglan in Paul Moravec’s Sanctuary Road.

Dejah has competed in several prestigious vocal competitions such as the Schmidt Vocal Arts Competition, the CS Music Voice Competition, UK Opera’s Alltech Vocal Competition, the Tri-State Competition, and the Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition Grand Finals.

Watts graduated from the University of Kentucky with a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance, where she studied under Dr. Angelique Clay. She plans to attend Rice University where she will pursue her graduate studies.

Rising star, Lauren Decker, possesses a booming contralto with “amber low notes” that is in a league of its own. She is lauded for “pouring out a dark, chocolatey sound with a plushness of tone and amplitude of voice rarely heard in a young singer”.

This season, Ms. Decker makes her European debut with Deutsche Oper Berlin. Roles there include Erda, Schwertleite, and covering 1st Norn in Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle; Mary in Der fliegende Holländer; Third Lady in Die Zauberflöte; Mamma Lucia in Cavalleria rusticana; La Badessa and La Zia Principessa in Suor Angelica; covering Frugola in Il Tabarro; and covering Zita in Gianni Schicchi.

Learn more here.