Stella Markou
Hailed as ‘exquisite’ by Gramophone, Greek American soprano Stella Markou has performed internationally as a soloist on the concert stage, oratorio and opera. A passionate advocate of contemporary music, her festival work includes the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Heidelberg New Music Festival, International Computer Music Conference, Paros Parks Festival, Naxos Music Festival, Siletz Bay Music Festival, Electronic Music Midwest, Xortos Music Festival, and the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music (SEAMUS).
Dr. Markou has been a featured guest artist with the the Consulate General of Greece, Edinburgh Contemporary Musical Ensemble, Masterworks Chorale, Nassau Music Society, Dance New Amsterdam Company, American Chamber Chorale, University of Nevada Las Vegas Concert Series, Ambassadors of Harmony, and the Nashville Ballet. Notable masterwork performances include Orff's Carmina Burana, Fauré's Requiem, Haydn’s Lord Nelson's Mass, Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Poulenc’s Gloria, Mozart's Requiem, Rutter's Gloria, and Bach’s Jauchzet Gott in allen landen. Her stage performances include roles in Pique Dame, Die Zauberflöte, The Turn of the Screw, The Mikado, The Telephone, and The Songstress, The Soldier’s Tale, among others.
Dr. Markou is a nationally recognized director of opera and musical theater. Her opera productions of The Clever Artifice of Harriet and Margaret and The Pirates of Penzance won first place in the National Opera Association’s opera production competition, and her production of The Medium won first prize in The American Prize opera production competition. The American Prize also recognized her as the second prize recipient of the Charles Nelson Reilly Prize in Directing for her production of The Medium.
Highly esteemed as a performer and master teacher, Dr. Markou is an Associate Professor of Music at the University of Kansas where she serves as the Director of Opera and Coordinator of Voice. Previous appointments include serving as a teaching artist for Opera Theatre of St. Louis’ Artist in Training Program and as the Director of Vocal Studies and Opera Theatre at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
A native of Arizona, Dr. Markou received her Bachelor of Music from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Master of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and Doctor of Musical Arts from The University of Arizona. Her work can be found on the MSR and SEAMUS record labels.