Welcome to a new venture of mine - an email newsletter! As 2022 draws to a close, I’m anticipating a slew of passion projects and debuts in early 2023 while also reflecting on the varied and fulfilling opportunities of the past year.

The most consequential, exciting thing that happened this year was marrying Michael. We got engaged during the pandemic and it was so wonderful to finally gather together with friends and family in September to mark the start of this new chapter in our lives.

Early 2022 brought two special opportunities to perform Bach’s Johannes-Passion, with Maestro Stephen Alltop and the Elmhurst Symphony & Apollo Chorus, and with Maestro Rossen Milanov and the Columbus Symphony. The two soprano arias bookend the drama and it was a pleasure to sing them with two stellar ensembles.

With fellow soloists and Mo. Milanov backstage at Columbus Symphony

I also performed as a finalist in two important Chicago singing competitions hosted by The Musicians Club of Women and the Luminarts Cultural Foundation. I was honored to win the Luminarts Encouragement Award in early March, performing in the final round with Michael accompanying me on piano.

2022 brought many gratifying opportunities for Michael and I to further develop as a duo, including an inspiring residency with the Cleveland Art Song Institute in early May. In the fall, we created a recital of Beethoven and Mozart inspired by Classical-Era soprano Josepha Duschek and toured it to upstate New York under the aegis of Pegasus Rising, Cornell University, and NYS Baroque. (Many thanks to Deb Fox for believing in this project and supporting us every step of the way!) And we were thrilled to perform a lush program of favorite Romantic art songs on the Sacred Sounds Series earlier this month.

L to R: After a recital in Cleveland; smiles during rehearsal; after our recital at Cornell Uni; soundcheck in Grand Rapids

After winning the 2nd Prize at the 2021 Cesti Competition for Baroque Opera, I was invited back to the Innsbruck Festival for Early Music to sing Gilde in Carlo Pallavacino’s L’amazzone corsara in August - my European debut! It was a surreal to spend six weeks in beautiful Innsbruck, teasing out the comical and musical details of this long-neglected early baroque opera. It was really special to work on an Italian opera with a production and musical team full of (very patient, very kind) Italian musicians - I learned so much and sincerely hope that my career will take me back to Europe soon.

With castmates on Opening Night (as you can see, Gilde is a maximalist!!)

Most recently, I was thrilled to sing my first full Messiah as a soloist. The Apollo Chorus has performed Messiah annually for over 140 years, and I was deeply touched to join them for two performances at Millennium Park’s Harris Theater. After that, I flew to Montana to perform the work again with the Billings Symphony - another heartwarming musical experience and my last gig of 2022! It is exceptionally difficult for an unmanaged soprano to get looped into the Messiah “circuit” and I sincerely hope that I will have more opportunities to perform this very meaningful work in future seasons. You can hear me singing “Rejoice Greatly” from my December performance with Bella Voce here!

Taking a bow with Apollo Chorus, fellow soloists, and Mo. Stephen Alltop

In the first part of the New Year, I’ll debut with Opera Lafayette, sing Bach’s overwhelming masterwork St. Matthew Passion with Music of the Baroque, give recitals with Ars Musica Chicago, and Bach Week Festival, and perform in two productions with Boston Early Music Festival. There are also one or two things I’m very excited about but can’t quite talk about yet… If you’ve read this far, thanks so much! I’m happy to have this new way to stay in touch and share updates. If you’d prefer to follow me through social media, you can find me on Facebook and Instagram. You can find a complete list of my upcoming engagements on my website.

Wishing you and your loved ones a fun and festive holiday season!

Thank you for your support,

Hannah

MESSIAH with Apollo Chorus & Orchestra:
”De Priest was a standout, singing with bright tone and sunny spirit in her solo arias. She gave elevated expression to ‘Rejoice greatly’ and brought an apt air of spiritual reflection to ‘I know that my Redeemer liveth.’” - Chicago Classical Review

MADAMA EUROPA with The Newberry Consort:
“From the first notes she sang, De Priest immediately distinguished herself with her versatility of vocal color, dramatic engagement, and textual clarity, even in ensemble pieces. Her consistent resonance, even when singing without vibrato, ensured she could always be heard no matter the tessitura or instrumentation. De Priest particularly wowed in a short snippet from Monteverdi’s famous “Lamento d’Arianna,” heightening the drama by tactfully deploying a seamless chest voice mix and stylish ornaments.” - Chicago Classical Review

GILDE in L’amazzone corsara at the Innsbruck Early Music Festival:
“Just the right comic verve… a large and well-handled voice.” - Opera Teatro
“Brilliant and easy vocalism” - Olyrix
“Played with great prowess” - onlinemerkur.de
“A glittering, easy soprano with the capacity for rich, sensitive colors.” - merkur.de

SOPRANO SOLOIST, JOHANNES-PASSION with Apollo Chorus:
“Soprano soloist Hannah De Priest was a vocal standout, delivering her two arias with poise and a gleaming tone. De Priest navigated the tricky chromaticism and quick breaths of ‘Ich folge dir gleichfalls’ with ease and demonstrated impressive dynamic control in ‘Zerfließe, mein Herze’ with tasteful messe di voce and straight tone effects.” - Chicago Classical Review