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LONG BIO (483 words)
Vocalist Liz Pearse has alternately been described as a “badass”, having “a near-psychic understanding of what a composer is trying to accomplish”, and possessing “a voice made of arrows forged in a volcanic pit, transforming the didactic and mundanely intellectual into actual fire”. After a childhood spent playing every instrument she could find, Liz has focused her career on exploring the infinite possibilities of the human voice. Her uniquely colorful and versatile instrument has led to performances of wide-ranging works from medieval to modern, and though Liz is known as a specialist in contemporary vocal repertoire, she enjoys a well-aged song. Though she has mostly retired from the opera stage, Liz has performed with Lyric Opera Kansas City, and was a featured soloist in Turandot performances with Michigan Opera Theatre and Toledo Opera. She has originated several contemporary operatic roles including Vassa in The Winter Dog (2019) and Felix in The Strange Child (2022), as well as reveling in older shows - singing the title role of The Merry Widow, La Contessa in Le nozze di Figaro, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, and Countess Charlotte in A Little Night Music, among other roles. As an active chamber and choral musician, Liz has enjoyed invitations to perform at festivals and venues around Europe and North America. Most recently, she sang concerts in Anglikon and Wittnau, Switzerland with Damselfly Trio, and summer 2023 brought her debut performances in Mexico performing on the Festival de Mayo in Guadalajara and with Cepromusic in Mexico City, where she performed as the alto soloist in György Ligeti’s Aventures/Nouvelles Aventures. Past highlights include Berio’s Coro with the Lucerne Festival Academy under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle; a tour of Ireland and Northern Ireland performing the music of composer Ryan Molloy; the Polish premiere of love fail with Quince on the KODY Festiwal; the Bang on a Can Long Play festival, the Toronto Electroacoustic Symposium, countless university residencies around the United States; and recording sessions in Germany, Switzerland, Ireland, San Diego, and Minneapolis. Liz often performs self-accompanied at the piano. She has commissioned and performed over a dozen works for solo singer/pianist, and her doctoral dissertation discusses the practice in relation to Roger Reynolds’ Sketchbook for The Unbearable Lightness of Being, recently recorded and released on the double album For a Reason with Neuma Records. Though self-accompanying is a large part of her practice, Liz has a voracious appetite for the camaraderie of chamber music. In addition to her work with Swiss/USA-based Damselfly Trio and collaborations with pianists performing the vocal music of Messiaen, Babbitt, and a range of other fascinating composers, Liz is one-fourth of Quince Ensemble, an American Midwest-based treble quartet dedicated to the creation and performance of contemporary vocal literature. When she’s not performing, Liz lives and teaches in the beautiful Driftless region of Minnesota. More information about Liz can be found at lizpearse.com MEDIUM LENGTH BIO (315 words) Vocalist Liz Pearse has alternately been described as a “badass”, having “a near-psychic understanding of what a composer is trying to accomplish”, and possessing “a voice made of arrows forged in a volcanic pit, transforming the didactic and mundanely intellectual into actual fire”. After a childhood spent playing every instrument she could find, Liz has focused her career on exploring the infinite possibilities of the human voice. Her uniquely colorful and versatile instrument has led to performances of wide-ranging works from medieval to modern, and though Liz is known as a specialist in contemporary vocal repertoire, she enjoys a well-aged song. Both as a soloist and with her various chamber projects, Liz is enjoying a rapidly-expanding constellation of performances around North America and Europe. 2023 saw her debuts in Mexico City (Cepromusic) and Guadalajara (Festival de Mayo with Quince), as well as her return to Switzerland and recording sessions in Germany. Previous performances include Berio’s Coro with the Lucerne Festival Academy, love fail on the KODY Festiwal in Poland, a tour of Ireland/Northern Ireland with Damselfly Trio, the Toronto Electroacoustic Symposium, and many appearances from coast to coast in the United States. Liz has commissioned and performed over a dozen works for solo singer/pianist, and the focus of her dissertation, Roger Reynolds’ Sketchbook for The Unbearable Lightness of Being, was recently recorded and released on the double album For a Reason with Neuma Records. Though solo performance and self-accompanying is a large part of her practice, Liz has a voracious appetite for the camaraderie of chamber music. In addition to her work with Swiss/USA-based Damselfly Trio, Liz is one-fourth of Quince Ensemble, an American Midwest-based treble quartet dedicated to the creation and performance of contemporary vocal literature. When she’s not performing, Liz lives and teaches in the beautiful Driftless region of Minnesota. More information about Liz can be found at lizpearse.com SHORT BIO (219 words) Vocalist Liz Pearse has alternately been described as a “badass”, having “a near-psychic understanding of what a composer is trying to accomplish”, and possessing “a voice made of arrows forged in a volcanic pit, transforming the didactic and mundanely intellectual into actual fire”. After a childhood spent playing every instrument she could find, Liz has focused her career on exploring the infinite possibilities of the human voice. Though Liz is known as a specialist in contemporary vocal repertoire, she enjoys a well-aged song. Liz enjoys work as a solo artist and as a chamber musician, and has performed all over North America (from Canada to Mexico and coast-to-coast in the USA) and in both Europe and the United Kingdom. Liz has commissioned and performed over a dozen works for solo singer/pianist, and the focus of her dissertation, Roger Reynolds’ Sketchbook for The Unbearable Lightness of Being, was recently recorded and released on the double album For a Reason with Neuma Records. Though solo performance and self-accompanying is a large part of her practice, Liz has a voracious appetite for the camaraderie of chamber music, mostly with her quartet Quince and the Damselfly Trio. When she’s not performing, Liz lives and teaches in the beautiful Driftless region of Minnesota. More information about Liz can be found at lizpearse.com ULTRASHORT BIO (150 words) Vocalist Liz Pearse has alternately been described as a “badass”, having “a near-psychic understanding of what a composer is trying to accomplish”, and possessing “a voice made of arrows forged in a volcanic pit, transforming the didactic and mundanely intellectual into actual fire”. After a childhood spent playing every instrument she could find, Liz has focused her career on exploring the infinite possibilities of the human voice. Liz enjoys work as a solo artist and as a chamber musician, and has performed all over North America (from Canada to Mexico and coast-to-coast in the USA) and in both Europe and the United Kingdom. Though solo performance and self-accompanying is a large part of her practice, Liz has a voracious appetite for the camaraderie of chamber music, mostly with ensembles Quince and Damselfly Trio. When she’s not performing, Liz lives and teaches in the beautiful Driftless region of Minnesota. lizpearse.com ------------------------------------- Liz maintains a private studio based in Minnesota. Please contact her for information regarding lessons! Liz currently teaches applied voice applied voice at Winona State University, and recently taught applied voice and chamber music at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse. She has previously taught Vocal Pedagogy and applied voice at UW-Eau Claire, Vocal Repertoire and Singers' Diction at Bowling Green State University, and Group Voice at Owens Community College, in addition to studio teaching in person and online. Her research focus in contemporary music focuses on pedagogy for contemporary singing - both within and outside of the Western Art music realm. |
Performing Berio's Folk Songs at Omaha Under the Radar - Photo by Aleks Karjaka of Karjaka Studios, 2015
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