Mary Elizabeth Williams Garners Major Success as Aida

Ethiopian Princess: Mary Elizabeth Williams

"And there was radiant soprano Mary Elizabeth Williams as Aida, who was probably the reason this company dared take on Aida in the first place. Williams is not actually an Aida; her voice is about two sizes too small for the part. She is, however, a consummate artist, who stood out with the company as Tosca (another ambitious assignment) in 2009, and who won more local attention as Adriana Lecouvreur at the Washington Concert Opera last fall. She has a soft bronze voice with a limpid quality, whether she is singing at her loudest or floating out a gentle little phrase that tamed the bombast of the big Act II ensemble. She is also a wonderful presence on stage, at once regal and human. As Aida, the Ethiopian princess captured by the Egyptians and enslaved to the princess Amneris, Williams seemed a true princess in disguise, whether she was going through the motions of a slave girl or standing up to Amneris and starting to snap at her that she was, indeed, her equal. She looked it, every inch." [Source]

Watch a brief video of the singer discussing Aida at the Virginia Opera, after the jump.