Tanisha Ward

Soprano Tanisha Ward has been heard in a variety of venues in her native Memphis, Tennessee and beyond. A former Artist-in-Residence with Opera Memphis and the winner of an Emerging Artist Grant from Arts Memphis, Ms. Ward has been seen in supporting and featured roles with several Opera Memphis productions including Aida, Tremonisha, Porgy & Bess, and Turandot and covered the leading soprano role of Euridice in Gluck’s Orpheus. She was Gretel in Opera Memphis’s outreach tour of Hansel and Gretel and was featured in a one-woman show entitled Black Roots of Opera for the company in honor of Black History Month. Additional credits include the Church Soloist in Playhouse on the Square’s award-wining production of The Color Purple, featured soloist in Art for Life’s Sake, and international tours in recital for D&P Joubert Worldwide. Ms. Ward was a 2016 young artist with the Druid City Opera Workshop in Tuscaloosa, Alabama where she was heard in scenes as the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier and Donna Anna in Don Giovanni. She appeared as Lady Billows in Albert Herring at Ole Miss in the spring of 2017. She holds the Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Memphis and the Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). Ms. Ward has been a frequent prize winner in regional NATS competitions. She made her debut with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra in the fall of 2017 singing the role of Lucy in Treemonisha. Ms. Ward sang at Carnegie Hall in November 2018 with New York Lyric Opera Theater in their "Opera Gala at Carnegie Hall" production. She returned to New York in December and sang the role of 2nd Lady with New York Lyric Opera Theater in their concert version of Die Zauberflöte. Ms. Ward made her role and company debut with Red Mountain Theatre Company Cabaret in February 2020, in their production of Porgy & Bess as Serena. She is currently a Company Artist with Moon River Opera in Savannah, Georgia.