Soprano
American soprano Risa Renae Harman has been widely acclaimed for her technical virtuosity and communication skills as an artist. As noted by The New York Times, “she is that rare creature among singers, a really good recitalist.” On the concert stage, she has appeared as soloist in Samuel Barber’s The Prayers of Kierkegaard at the Kennedy Center with The Washington Chorus, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with The Philadelphia Singers at the Kimmel Center and Alice Tully Hall, Handel’s Laudate pueri with The National Cathedral Choral Society, Mozart’s Exsultate, jubilate at the Kennedy Center, Bach’s Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen, BWV 51 with The Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra, solo recitals at the Brooklyn Library and the acclaimed Trinity Church, and guest artist with the Greenwich Chamber Players.
A favorite of composer, Sheila Silver, Miss Harman premiered songs composed for her based on poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay with American Opera Projects at Symphony Space. She is currently workshopping Silver’s new opera, A Thousand Splendid Suns with American Opera Projects. She also sings as Jenny Lind in Jenny Lind, The Swedish Nightingale in America, a play with music by Kelly Hale, currently a work in progress. In appreciation of Miss Harman’s artistry, a local music-lover has endowed the position of The Karen Schuiling Endowed Chair, currently held by Miss Harman, at the Bay View Music Festival.
Operatic performances include The Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte, Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos, Adele in Die Fledermaus, Violetta in La Traviata, the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor, as well as creating the role of Louise in the world premiere of William Schuman’s A Question of Taste for Glimmerglass Opera. She has appeared with New York City Opera, Fargo-Moorhead Opera, Lake George Opera, and Lyric Opera Cleveland.
Miss Harman’s international credits include recitals in Sweden as the winner of the American Jenny Lind Competition and the Italian Festivals Da Bach a Bartok and Musica nei Chiostri. Miss Harman is the recipient of numerous awards including the Lee Schaenen Foundation, Lotte Lehmann Foundation, Sullivan Foundation, Shoshana Foundation, Washington International Competition, Jenny Lind Competition, and Licia Albanese-Puccini Competition. She hails from Virginia and presently calls New York home.