Mezzo-Soprano Tichina Vaughn

Tichina Vaughn is internationally celebrated for her “superb, rich singing” and serious “theatrical presence.” The Grammy-winning American mezzo-soprano has performed leading roles in the world’s most important opera houses, including The Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Royal Opera Covent Garden, and the Semperoper Dresden. Equally at home in opera, concert, and recital repertoire, Vaughn is recognized for her artistry, versatility, and commitment to uplifting diverse voices in classical music.

Ms. Vaughn began her operatic career as a member of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Program and returns to The Metropolitan Opera in the 2025-2026 season to sing Maria in Porgy and Bess, as well as a role and house debut as Monisha in Treemonisha with Washington National Opera.

Recent season engagements include the Old Lady in Candide with Semperoper Dresden and Opéra de Lyon, Mezzo soloist in Verdi’s Requiem with the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra, a debut with the Royal Opera House as the Witch in Hansel and Gretel, Azucena in Il Trovatore with Piedmont Opera, and La Zia Principessa in Suor Angelica with Welsh National Opera. Ms. Vaughn also returned to The Metropolitan Opera as the Hostess of the Inn in Boris Gudonow, Mere Jeanne in Dialogues de Carmélites, Erste Magd in Elektra, and Maria in Porgy and Bess.

Additional North American highlights include a debut with Utah Opera as Mary in Der fliegende Holländer, a return to the role of Amneris in Aida with Fort Worth Opera (a role also performed with San Francisco Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Michigan Opera Theater, Tulsa Opera, Seattle Opera, and Orange County Opera), a debut with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis as Monisha in a new production of Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha (reimagined by composer Damien Sneed), a debut with Boston Lyric Opera as Emelda in Terence Blanchard’s Champion, Azucena in Il Trovatore with Sacramento Opera, La Frugola in Il Tabarro with Los Angeles Opera, and several returns to The Metropolitan Opera.

On international stages, Ms. Vaughn toured with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, singing multiple roles in Porgy and Bess (led by Alan Gilbert), debuted at Theater an der Wien, English National Opera and Dutch National Opera as Maria in Porgy and Bess, and returned to Semperoper Dresden as Herodias in Salome and Brigitta in Die tote Stadt. Ms. Vaughn made her Italian debut as Azucena in Il Trovatore under the baton of Nicola Luisotti at Teatro Verdi Trieste, where she was later heard as Ulrica in Un ballo in maschera, a role she also performed at Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, Teatro Massimo Palermo, Teatro delle Muse Ancona, Teatro Verdi Salerno, and Teatro Filarmonico Verona. Additional international highlights include Amneris in Franco Zeffirelli’s AIDA at the Arena di Verona, where she essayed more than 50 performances and numerous engagements at important theaters and concert halls throughout Germany, Italy, Austria, Eastern Europe, Asia, and The Middle East.

Tichina Vaughn has performed symphonic concerts, chamber concerts, and recitals in prestigious concert halls around the world. Featured works include the Verdi’s Requiem, Beethoven’s 9^th Symphony and Bernstein’s Jeremiah Symphony. Orchestras she has performed with include the Berlin Philharmonic, Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, Taipei Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra Kennedy Center, Jerusalem Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Stuttgart Philharmonic, and the National Symphony of Ireland. She has collaborated with maestros Karen Kamansek, James Conlon, Placido Domingo, James Levine, Fabio Luisi, Nicola Luisotti, Bobby McFerrin, Daniel Oren, Sir Simon Rattle, Mstislav Rostropovich, Nello Santi, and Omer Meir Welber, among others.

From 2010 through 2018, she was an ensemble member at the Semperoper Dresden,where she was heard as Herodias (Salome), Azucena (Il Trovatore), Venus (Tannhäuser), Ulrica (A Masked Ball), Ortrud (Lohengrin), Eboli (Don Carlo), Klytemnestra (“Elektra“), and the Witch (“Hansel and Gretel“) among others. 

From 1996 to 2006, Ms. Vaughn was a principal artist at the Stuttgart State Opera, where she was awarded the title of Kammersängerin for her successes in such roles as Eboli (Don Carlo), Azucena (Il Trovatore), Widow Begbick (Mahagonny), Venus (Tannhäuser), Giulietta (Les Contes d’Hoffmann), Arnalta (L’incoronazione di Poppea), Herodias (Salome), Fricka (Die Walküre), Waltraute (Götterdämmerung), and Erda (Seigfried) and (Das Rheingold).

Ms. Vaughn has received many awards and honors during her distinguished career, including the Metropolitan Opera National Council Award, the Richard Tucker Foundation Study Grant Award, the Opera Index Vocal Competition Award, the Licia Albanese Puccini Foundation Award, and a Birgit Nilsson Foundation Award. Most recently, she was presented the Consul General’s Award for Cultural Diplomacy from the Consulate General in Milan.

Her discography includes the Grammy-winning Metropolitan Opera recording of Porgy and Bess, the Stuttgart State Theater Der Ring Des Nibelungen and her solo portrait CD entitled “Christmas at My House”. She also appears on the release Schwanda the Bagpiper – Live From the Semperoper.

As an active voice teacher and mentor, Vaughn has been artist-in-residence at her alma mater, the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and serves as artistic advisor for SAS Performing Arts Company NYC and as a faculty clinician with Opera Programs Berlin. Tichina Vaughn is Associate Professor of Music in Voice at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.