Biography
 

Last season Mae Heydorn sang the title role in Café Europa, a new chamber opera by Christoph Renhart, in collaboration with the Serbian National Theatre & Opera and the Portuguese Philharmonic Orchestra, which had its premiere at the Festival de Ópera de Óbidos in Portugal. 

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Reviewers praised her for the portrayal of Hedwig in the UK staged premiere of Offenbach's Die Rheinnixen at the Battersea Arts Centre and she sang Jocasta in Oedipus Rex at St John's Waterloo and the alto solo in Mahler's Symphony No 3 at Blackheath Halls under Ben Woodward.

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This season starts off with performances as the controversial Zarah Leander in Voices between these Walls at the House of Music in Berlin, followed by the world premiere of In Five Years' Time at the Space Theatre in London.

 Other contemporary performances include the world premiere of Opera Mums with Bryony Kimmings streamed on BBC4 and Birtwistle’s The Mask of Orpheus at English National Opera.

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An Anglo-Swedish Society scholar Mae Heydorn studied at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. Graduating with distinction she made her operatic debut with Glyndebourne Festival Opera as Woodpecker in The Cunning Little Vixen. 

 

In 2021 the UK premiere of Gounod’s La Nonne Sanglante earned her an Offie nomination for best performance in the title role and an Offie Award for best opera production. 

‘Mae Heydorn was the star turn as the nun.’ Opera Now

 

Mae is the winner of the Swedish Wagner Award 2019 and has since sung her critically acclaimed role debut as Erda in director Amy Lane’s Ring Cycle at Longborough Festival Opera and later in the critically praised Regents Opera Ring Cycle with Ben Woodward at the helm.

‘A gorgeously sung Erda from Mae Heydorn’ The Guardian

 

In 2023 Mae sang Handel at Sotheby’s as part of Oliver Zeffman’s Barbican Classical Pride. 

 

She understudied Bianca in The Rape of Lucretia & Mrs Grose in The Turn of the Screw at Glyndebourne and continues her love of performing Britten’s music most recently as Auntie in Peter Grimes at the Southbank Centre and Mrs Grose in Jonny Danciger‘s much acclaimed production with Cumbria Opera Group.

 

A Making Music Philip and Dorothy Green Award winner Mae performs in recital across the UK with the English Chamber Orchestra at Cadogan Hall, at St John’s Smith Square, the Oxford International Song Festival (formerly Oxford Lieder) and Music at Oxford.

 

2025 saw her Carmen role debut with the Sheffield Philharmonic Orchestra in the Sharks' Arena 'Mae Heydorn's Carmen was magnetic, charismatic, and at times quite frighteningly bewitching, her velvety voice weaved seduction and danger into every phrase.'

Scene and Herd.

 

In the new year Mae is returning to London's York Hall as Herodias in Regents Opera‘s new production of Salome.