Originally from Southern California, soprano Ariana Wyatt is now based in Virginia enjoying a diverse career on the opera stage and in the concert hall. She has performed for Gotham Chamber Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Opera Omaha, Spoleto USA, Opera Roanoke, Opera on the James, the Juilliard Opera Center and Aspen Opera Theater. She has recorded for the Albany and MSR labels, with her 2020 recording Let Evening Come: American Songs Old and New named one of the best classical recordings of 2020 by the Chicago Tribune.
An avid concert artist, recent appearances include those with the Ameropa Festival in Prague, Czech Republic, the Parma Festival, the Red Rocks Music Festival, the Aspen Music Festival and School, the Musica Viva series, as well as appearances with Steve Blier as part of the New York Festival of Song. Her oratorio credits include Messiah with Charleston Symphony, Dvorak’s Requiem for the Prague Festival Orchestra, Vivaldi’s Gloria at Carnegie Hall, Haydn’s Creation and Mozart’s Requiem for Davidson College, the Brahms Requiem for the Bulgarian Youth Orchestra and the University of South Carolina, Bach’s St. John Passion for the Los Angeles Baroque Orchestra and a Holiday Pops concert with the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra. An enthusiastic advocate for contemporary art song and opera, she has premiered and championed chamber works by Alan Louis Smith, Daron Hagen, Gregory Hutter, Lori Laitman and Kent Holliday.
Among her many awards, Ms. Wyatt won first place in the Metropolitan Opera Competition Western Region in 2003, she has been a finalist at the Charles A. Lynam Vocal Competition, and a winner of the New West Symphony and Pasadena Opera competitions. She is a graduate of the Juilliard Opera Center, the Santa Fe Apprentice Program for singers, the Glimmerglass Opera Young Artist Program, and the Florida Grand Opera Young Artist Program. She earned the bachelor of music degree from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, where she was recognized as the Outstanding Graduate for the class of 2001. She completed the master of music degree at USC in 2003. She is currently an associate professor of voice at Virginia Tech.
Your Preferred Music?
I love music of many different time periods and styles. I prefer music that tells stories, as that is the entire point of singing!
Your Most Memorable Moment as a Professional Musician?
I had the opportunity to perform James Whitborn's cantata Annelies in the Jerusalem Synagogue in Prague. It was very impactful for me to perform this piece, on text by Anne Frank, in a venue that was once filled with personal belongings stolen from the Jewish people. Music allows us to share in our collective humanity, and this piece in this place created a profound opportunity for this shared connection.
Your Dream Performance?
A dream performance is any performance where there is synergy and connection between performers and audience. In my opinion, that is the purpose of live performance.