Teacher

Lyric soprano Alisa Larsen made her debut at Carnegie Hall in 2011 singing Haydn's Missa Brevis Sancti Joannis de Deo and John Rutter’s Requiem. More recent appearances include soprano soloist in Handel’s Messiah with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Pam in The Magic Dream, Pamina in The Magic Flute Sing-Along, and Minnie in The Prospector with Los Angeles Opera, and soprano soloist in Mozart’s Benedictus sit Deus and Exsultate, jubilate, and Beethoven’s Mass in C with Rochester Oratorio Society.

A past regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Ms. Larsen was also a finalist in Rochester Oratorio Society’s Classical Idol opera competition, (a classical spin on TV’s American Idol) where her rendition of Anne Boleyn’s mad scene from Donizetti’s tragic opera won her a Second Place finish. Her smooth, Italianate sound and varied interests put her equally at home singing opera, oratorio, and concert works, with an added, uncanny affinity for the golden-age tunes of Broadway.

Other appearances include Mozart’s Coronation Mass with Rochester Oratorio Society, Vivaldi’s Gloria at the International Festival of the Voice in Phoenicia, NY, and a holiday concert at Lincoln Center’s Bruno Walter Auditorium. The years 2011-2017 brought the opportunity to continue her longstanding collaboration with living composers with the premiere of two one-act operas by New York City composer Martin Halpern, including the title role in Mrs. Middleman’s Descent, which the composer wrote with her voice in mind.

Previous seasons’ appearances include Haydn's The Creation at Artemus Ham Hall in Las Vegas, Adina in L’Elisir d’Amore with Opera Las Vegas, and Handel’s Messiah with Southern Nevada Musical Arts Society. In addition to oratorio soloist, Ms. Larsen was a regular on the latter group's annual Pops Concert for three seasons, singing the songs of George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer, and Cole Porter.

Career highlights include Tan Dun’s Water Passion after St. Matthew under the baton of conductor Brady Allred at Libby Gardner Concert Hall in Salt Lake City, the title roles in Giacomo Puccini’s Suor Angelica and Poppea in L’incoronazione di Poppea with La Musica Lirica in Novafeltria and Pesaro, Italy; Giulia in Gilbert & Sullivan’s Gondoliers and Gabriella in La Rondine with Utah Opera; Isabelle/Madeline in The Face on the Barroom Floor with Opera Las Vegas; Musetta in La Bohème with Sandy City Symphony; Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro with Paradigm Chamber Orchestra; Dvorak Requiem at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Salt Lake City; John Rutter’s Mass of the Children with Salt Lake Choral Artists; Soloist in Valeri Kikta’s La Luce delle Tacite Stelle with the Utah Harp Ensemble.

Her ventures into new music include Schoenberg’s 2nd String Quartet as part of the Intermezzo Chamber Music Series with members of the Utah Symphony, work with Canyonlands New Music Ensemble on Pulitzer Prize-winning Yehudi Wyner’s song cycle On This Most Voluptuous Night in conjunction with the composer’s visit to Salt Lake City in October 2006, as well as a performance of Milton Babbit’s Phonemena. She has premiered works by composers Igor Iachimciuc, Brian Crosby, Sam Richards and Marie Grudzien.

Ms. Larsen is a former resident artist with Berkshire Opera, where she played Gretel in Hänsel & Gretel.  She received her M.M. in Vocal Performance from the University of Utah, where she was featured as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Rose in Street Scene, and soprano soloist in Mozart's Requiem and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.

Ms. Larsen now resides in Mount Pleasant, Utah, with her husband and young son, where she teaches in the music department at nearby Snow College and maintains an active home studio. Teaching singing has become her passion and something she finds deeply fulfilling. She also enjoys yoga, tennis, knitting, and the outdoors.

You can find her classical singing at alisalarsenvoice.com and her jazz ukulele work on her CurlyCues YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@curlycues90