​

Lauded by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for her “beautiful high range,” American dramatic soprano Amber Smoke made her first foray into the Wagnerian soprano repertoire with her role debut as Sieglinde (Die Walküre) with Union Avenue Opera Theater. She has since debuted the roles of Elisabeth (Tannhäuser) with Apotheosis Opera, Vitellia (La Clemenza di Tito) with the Occasional Orchestra of New York and Lucy Brown (Threepenny Opera) with Amarillo Opera, and appeared in concert with Empire Opera as Ariadne (Ariadne auf Naxos). 

 

Formerly a mezzo-soprano, Ms. Smoke’s extensive repertoire includes Zwischenfach roles including Venus (Tannhäuser), Ortrud (Lohengrin), Brangäne (Tristan und Isolde), and Santuzza (Cavalleria Rusticana). Her notable performances as a mezzo-soprano include her European debut as Maddalena (Rigoletto), Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel) and Inez (Il Trovatore) with Opera Carolina, concerts with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Chautauqua Opera and Des Moines Metro Opera, and the premiere of Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar with Santa Fe Opera, directed by Peter Sellars.

 

Equally at home in oratorio repertoire, Ms. Smoke has appeared as the Alto Soloist in Handel MESSIAH with the Lake Charles Symphony and Chorus and the Westchester Oratorio Society, Bach MAGNIFICAT with the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes and the Roundhill Choir and Orchestra, Saint-Saëns CHRISTMAS ORATORIO with the New Canaan Music Series and Verdi REQUIEM with the Roundhill Choir and Orchestra.

 

Ms. Smoke is the recipient of an Encouragement Award from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and the coveted Presser Award for Musical Achievement. She was also a finalist in the Arkadi Foundation Vocal Competition and the Rochester Oratorio Society Competition, and a semi-finalist in the Peter Elvins Vocal Competition and the William C. Byrd Vocal Competition. Ms. Smoke holds a Bachelor’s degree (with highest honors), Master’s degree and Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music.