ANDREA MCGAUGH
mezzo-soprano

Mezzo-soprano Andrea McGaugh is a versatile musician with a wide variety of creative interests. An advocate for collaborative music making and authentic storytelling in all its forms, Andrea is a dedicated concert soloist, stage performer, recitalist, and ensemble singer.

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Andrea’s deep love for oratorio and choral music has led to many concert engagements across Western New York. Recent performances include Duruflé’s Requiem (SUNY Geneseo Symphony Orchestra and Festival Singers), Bach’s Magnificat (Eastman Bach Cantata Series), Brahms’ Alto Rhapsody (Eastman Philharmonia), Handel’s Messiah (Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus), Bach’s Mass in B Minor, St. John Passion, and St. Matthew Passion (Voices Chamber Choir), and Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Eastman Philharmonia) as winner of the school’s Voice Concerto Competition. As an ensemble singer, Andrea regularly performs with Rochester choirs Voices, First Inversion, Musica Spei, Scivias Medieval Ensemble, and the Christ Church Schola Cantorum. 

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A dynamic stage performer, Andrea recently made her Blackfriars Theatre debut as Margaret Johnson in The Light in the Piazza, and was a 2024 Resident Young Artist with Ohio Light Opera in productions of The Gondoliers (The Duchess of Plaza-Toro), Me and My Girl (Lady Battersby), The Sound of Music (Frau Schmidt), The Count of Luxembourg, and The Arcadians. Most at home in comedic opera and musical theatre, favorite roles include Ruth in The Pirates of Penzance, Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus, Doris "the Goddess of Wire-Walking" in Elizabeth Cree, Jack’s Mother in Into the Woods, Ilona Ritter in She Loves Me, and Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd.  Other operatic highlights include Verdi's Falstaff (Mistress Quickly cover), Mozart’s Così fan tutte (Dorabella), The Magic Flute (Third Lady), and Die Entführung aus dem Serail with Geneva Light Opera, Handel’s Alcina (Ruggiero) with the Rochester Baroque Vocal Consort, and Howard Hanson’s Merry Mount (Desire Annabel) with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. 

Known for her quick wit, compelling acting, and attention to detail, Andrea is committed to bringing multifarious characters to life on the stage and in the recital hall. Her passion for art song has led to numerous recital and festival engagements throughout the United States. She has been a guest artist with the SouthEastern Young Artists (Gainesville, GA), a Professional Fellow at SongFest (Nashville, TN), and has presented recitals with pianists Javier Arrebola, Maeve Berry, Alison d’Amato, Orlando Diaz, Hannah Harnest, Kauel Autumn Kim, Gina Hyunmin Lee, Cynthia Liu, Gioacchino Longobardi, Gregory Smith, and Shichao Zhang. This year, she looks forward to performances of Peter Lieberson's Rilke Songs, Leoš Janáček's The Diary of One Who Disappeared, and George Crumb's Apparition with Gregory Smith. 

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In addition to her love for performing, Andrea is a skilled arts administrator and teacher. She has taught 4th and 5th grade chorus in the Webster Central School District and on the voice faculties of Hobart and William Smith Colleges, the Rochester Academy of Music and Arts, and the Rochester Musical Theatre Academy. Andrea has held administrative internships with Finger Lakes Opera and Pegasus Early Music, and is a proud founding board member and teaching artist for What is Opera, Anyway?, a non-profit education program cultivating a love of opera in diverse audiences. Since 2017, Andrea has spent most of her days working as the Choral Librarian in the Eastman Ensembles Library, where she oversees the school’s choral activities behind the scenes.

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Outside of singing, the harp holds a special place in Andrea's musical life. She has been playing since she was 8, and even seriously considered pursuing it as her primary instrument in college. After a hiatus during her masters degree to focus on singing, she now mostly plays for fun. Andrea has enjoyed playing for solo recitals, weddings, church services, orchestra and choir concerts, and in harp ensemble. Most recently, she "resurrected" her harp career playing Mahler's Symphony No. 2 with the Roberts Symphony Orchestra. 

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Andrea holds degrees in Voice Performance (MM ‘22, BM ‘15) and Music Education (BM ‘15) and an Arts Leadership Certificate (‘22) from the Eastman School of Music, where she studied voice with Kathryn Cowdrick and Jan Opalach. When not performing, Andrea can be found baking Christmas cookies, watching football (go Bills!), settling Catan, and spending time with friends and family. Soli Deo gloria.​​​​​​