Merissa Beddows (Voice '22) Featured on WHYY's "On Stage at Curtis"
The Curtis alumna and America's Got Talent sensation explains how she took her love of classical music to the mainstream stage
“Curtis has given me something that I will have for my entire lifetime, which is solid technique. It helped me curate my ear and perfect what I’m hearing. Coming out of Curtis, I now have more an ability to be my own teacher than ever before, vocally, but also emotionally in this art form. ” —Merissa Beddows
Season 18 of WHYY’s acclaimed On Stage at Curtis series opens with a portrait of Curtis alumna Merissa Beddows (Voice ’22), who became a viral sensation in 2022 as a contestant on season 17 of America’s Got Talent (AGT). The soprano from Yonkers, New York, delivered spot-on impressions of celebrities like Ariana Grande, Stevie Nicks, and Celine Dion singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
While studying here in Philadelphia, Ms. Beddows performed the roles of Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Nora (Riders to the Sea), and Belinda (Dido and Aeneas) with Curtis Opera Theatre, and the roles of Flora (Turn of the Screw) and Luisa (The Fantasticks) with the Chautauqua Institution. A graduate of the Juilliard Pre-College Division in 2016, she studied for two years at the Manhattan School of Music before attending Curtis, where she worked with adjunct faculty member Julia Faulkner. Ms. Beddows has attended the Brevard Music Center and the Chautauqua Institution, and in 2020, was selected as a participant at the Ravinia Festival and the Britten–Pears Young Artist Programme.
In this episode of On Stage at Curtis, Ms. Beddows discusses the mixed blessings of having perfect pitch, the origin of her ability to do impressions, the moment she wanted to be an opera singer after watching Jackie Evancho perform on America’s Got Talent, and embodying an older character as Lady Billows in Benjamin Britten’s opera Albert Herring with Curtis Opera Theatre. She reflects on her triumphs and challenges as a contestant on AGT and talks about writing her own pop songs, creating her own content, and pursuing a path to mainstream commercial success.
Click HERE to watch the On Stage at Curtis episode, or click the video below.
Photos of Ms. Beddows courtesy of Nichole MCH Photography and America’s Got Talent.