Leah Heater - mezzo soprano
Mezzo-Soprano Leah Heater just finished the Resident Artist Program with Pittsburgh Opera, where she sang the roles of Flora in La Traviata and The Page in Salome, in which she “impressed” with her “solid low register” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). She portrayed the title role in Riccardo Primo, Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro, and Jessie Castner in the Long Walk .Her first role with Pittsburgh Opera was the role of Cecelia in Little Women in which she “displayed singing and acting abilities that lifted a secondary character into considerable prominence” (Pittsburgh In The Round).
More recently Ms. Heater has been seen and heard in Verdi's Requiem with Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra in which her "sonorous yet vigorous phrasing stood out" (Chautauquan Daily), and as Gertrude in Opera Ithaca's Hamlet, in which her "passion, carnality, and splendid voice completed communicated the transgressions of sovereigns." (Ithaca.com)
Leah graduated from the Masters and Artist Diploma programs at University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music and she performed many works there, including: Mezzo Soloist in Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde and Symphony No. 3, Verdi's Requiem, and John Adam's El Niño, as well as Carmen in La tragèdie de Carmen, Mother Marie in Dialogues of the Carmelites, Dritte Dame in Die Zauberflöte, Aloés in L'Étoile, Mother Goose in The Rake's Progress, and Eboli in the CCM Philharmonic’s concert presentation of the five-act French version of Verdi’s Don Carlos. She has also sung as mezzo soloist in Dvorak’s Requiem with Annapolis Symphony Orchestra and with Asheville Symphony Orchestra in Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass. In June of 2015, Leah made her Carnegie Hall debut as mezzo soloist in Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem and was praised by the New York Concert Review for her “exquisite voice”.
Leah has been fortunate to workshop a number of new works: at Cincinnati Opera she created the role of Sadie in two workshops of Ricky Ian Gordon's new opera, Morning Star, and sang the role of Kathleen in the world premiere of the same opera. She also had the opportunity to work closely with Jake Heggie and Terrance McNally in a workshop of their new opera, Great Scott, which premiered at Dallas Opera. As a Gerdine Young Artist at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Leah covered the role of Kathy Hagen in the world premiere of Terrence Blanchard’s Champion, as well as the role of Gertrude Stein in the premiere of 27 by Ricky Ian Gordon, during which she stood in for the first two weeks of staging for Ms. Stephanie Blythe. Leah sang as Carmen in the touring reduction of Bizet's famous opera with Cincinnati Opera as well as the full length version with Rome Festival Opera. She covered Princess Eboli in Verdi’s French version of Don Carlos as a Studio Artist with Sarasota Opera. While an Emerging Artist at Virginia Opera, she sang the role of Juno in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld, and covered the role of Mary in The Flying Dutchman.