Bio
Mezzo-soprano Madison Barrett has been described as “charming” (operetta-researchcenter.org) and “lovely-voiced” (Cleveland Classical). She is an active performer in both the operatic, musical theatre, and cabaret fields and has performed with companies including the Ohio Light Opera, Four Season’s theatre, Middleton Community Orchestra, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, and Middleton Player’s Theatre. Recent role credits include Desiree (A Little Night Music), Songbird (Songbird), Margaret (The Light in the Piazza), Lady Jacqueline (Me and My Girl), Ilene Cavanaugh (The Arcadians), Endimione (La Calisto), Smitty (How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying), Flora (No no Nanette), Flora (La Traviata), Nancy (Albert Herring), The Beggar Woman (Sweeney Todd), and Hansel (Hansel and Gretel) among others.
In 2024, Madison was awarded a Uhlein Career grant from Supporters of Opera Singers for her creative and performance work on her Take Me to the World Cabaret at the Ivory Room Piano Bar. She was named a finalist in the Patricia Crump Vocal Competition in 2023 and 2024 and was also a recipient of the Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2021. Madison is passionate about working with contemporary composers and recently premiered the mezzo-soprano version of Juliana Hall’s song cycle Winter Windows and the mezzo-soprano version of Sarah Hutchings' song cycle In Seasons of Life's Pursuit in 2023 and 2025 respectively.
Madison is currently pursuing her Doctorate of Musical Arts degree with a minor in German and linguistics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she holds the prestigious Paul J. Collins Fellowship. She also holds a Master of Music from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Bachelor's of Arts in Voice Performance with a minor in business administration from the University of Florida. Madison is an active educator and is an instructor of voice at Beloit College. She also maintains an active voice studio in Madison, Wi and teaches private voice instruction at Stoughton Center for the Arts, and MAVEN vocal arts, Farley's House of Pianos.