Fall: it is my favorite time of year (bouquet of sharpened pencils, anyone?) and along with the gusts of cool air, crisp apples, and ubiquitous pumpkin spice flavored everything comes the parade of carefully formatted season announcements…

I am a bit late to the party, but I’m anticipating a busy and exciting fall and winter season that will include recitals, oratorios, a big competition, and my role debut as Dido in Dido & Aeneas with Atlanta Baroque Orchestra.

My season kicked off last weekend with my debut in Haymarket Opera’s production of Francesca Caccini’s Alcina, which I previously performed with Boston Early Music Festival just this past June! It was so fun to dive back into this great mini-opera with a different cast and director. And what a treat to do opera in the city where I live!!

After my experience in Boston, Early Music America Magazine invited me to write a column about my time as a company artist. It was a thrill to see my name printed as a byline for the first time! The piece was recently published online and you can read it at this link.

On the recital side, I’m looking forward to singing with harpsichordist Jason Moy and lutenist Brandon Acker at the Bach Week Festival Gala on October 8th — a sommelier will pair wines to our musical selections! (We’ll see if he takes my suggestion to pair Barbara Strozzi with lambrusco:) In November, we’ll head to Michigan State University with violinist Adriane Post and cellist Anna Steinhoff for a far-reaching recital on the Taylor Johnston Early Music Series.

In concert, I’ll be performing Howard Goodall’s Eternal Light requiem with The Bach Society of St. Louis later this month. Believe it or not, that will be only the second time I’ve ever sung professionally in my home state of Missouri!! I’m also looking forward to singing Beethoven’s Mass in C Major and Margaret Bonds’ Credo with the Elgin Symphony. I’ll also sing as a soloist and ensemble member in Bella Voce’s annual Messiah.

Like most young singers, I have mixed feelings about competitions. For me, they have been the source of some remarkable trips and performance experiences, especially at the Corneille Competition and my win at the Cesti Competition. When I found out about a competition in Italy focused on 17th century repertoire, I knew it would be a great opportunity to push myself further into the language and style than I’ve previously gone. So! I’m enjoying preparing for first-ever Cavalli-Monteverdi Competition and will be traveling to Cremona at the end of October. Wish me luck!

In February, I’ll make my role and company debut with Atlanta Baroque Orchestra for Dido & Aeneas. This is one of my dream projects and I am especially excited that this fully-staged production will feature lots of dance!! Artistic Director Julie Andrijeski was one of my early mentors in this field - it’s always a pinch-me moment to collaborate with her as a colleague. I previously sang the role of Belinda, (Dido’s confidante), and I’m so happy that my voice has developed to add Dido to my repertoire.

I’m exploring lots of glorious and varied music right now but am also enjoying time at home after a whirlwind summer, with lots of long walks with the dog and curling up on the couch with spy thrillers. Michael and I are looking forward to a family-filled trip back home for Thanksgiving and we’ll ring in 2024 on the ski slopes in Utah — I’m hunting for a flashy snowsuit in the meantime!!

There’s a lot to look forward to in the spring, including (as ever) just a few things I can’t quite talk about yet…! Thank you for following my career updates here. You can also find me on Instagram, Facebook, and even LinkedIn;)