Olivia Gronenthal, mezzo-soprano, is a versatile performer known for her work in opera, contemporary music, and cross-disciplinary projects that resonate with modern audiences. This season, she appears as Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, a co-production of OPERA San Antonio and Austin Opera, and recently debuted as the Super Fan in Nathan Felix’s Glory Gone at the Radius Center. She will spend the summer as the mezzo opera resident with the Lakes Area Music Festival, covering Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel.

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A frequent presence on the operatic stage, Gronenthal has been a Studio Artist and soloist with OPERA San Antonio–Classical Music Institute, performing a diverse range of roles. Notable performances include Mrs. Nolan (The Medium), Cendrillon (Cendrillon), and Miep Gies in the world premiere of Shulamit Ran and Charles Kondek’s Anne Frank with Indiana University Opera Theater. Other highlights include Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel), Bianca (The Rape of Lucretia), Third Lady (Die Zauberflöte), and Prince Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus), which she performed with the AIMS Festival Orchestra in Graz, Austria.

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Her repertoire extends beyond traditional opera into new and experimental works. A passionate advocate for new music, she was a member of the 2020 Song Genesis Project, an initiative that paired singers, composers, and poets to create original compositions. Her team’s piece, Abaude on Cold Moon, premiered in 2021. She also originated the role of Electricizer 3 in the world premiere of Elizabeth Gartman’s New Motive Power at the Kohler Performing Arts Center.

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In concert, she was a featured soloist in An Evening on Broadway with Nathan and Julie Jordan Gunn. She has also performed as Medium Alison in selections from Fun Home with Shot in the Dark Productions. Her experience extends to opera workshop performances, where she portrayed Erika (Vanessa), Baba the Turk (The Rake’s Progress), and Zerlina (Don Giovanni), though the latter was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to her solo performances, she has contributed to numerous opera choruses, including Falstaff, Xerxes, Little Women (Indiana University Opera Theatre), and L’incoronazione di Poppea (Lyric Theatre at Illinois).

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A Chicago native, Gronenthal earned her Master of Music and Performance Diploma from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where she studied with Deanne Meek and Peter Volpe. She holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.