ABOUT HEATHER LAKE

Heather is a genre-defying singing actor celebrated for her vivid storytelling, vocal versatility, and bold artistic range. Her work spans contemporary opera and concert repertoire, Baroque music, musical theatre, and 1970s psychedelic rock, bringing emotional depth and refined musical instinct to every performance.

In the 2023–2024 season, Heather founded the Lyric Arts Collective, a recital ensemble dedicated to presenting art song, opera, and musical theatre duets for local audiences through platforms including Groupmuse, retirement communities, and local theaters. That season also marked her solo debut at Carnegie Hall with the Oratorio Society of New York under the baton of Kent Tritle, as well as a recording of Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with the Village Evereign Ensemble and a performance of Samuel Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with the Collegium Musicum Orchestra.

In the current season, Heather and her co-creator of the Lyric Arts Collective successfully met their fundraising goals, allowing the Collective to expand its artistic reach through multiple innovative recitals and collaborations with guest artists. These projects include a concept-driven recital examining operatic mad scenes through a contemporary psychological lens, as well as a choreographed film project set to Libby Larsen’s Clair de lune aria, merging vocal performance with movement and visual storytelling. The season also includes the development of new art songs in collaboration with a composer, inspired by the landscapes, voices, and emotional rhythms of New York City—furthering the Collective’s commitment to living composers and newly created work.

Heather’s past engagements include participation in Lincoln Center’s choral premiere of Jonathan Dove’s Search for Spring and serving as a featured soloist on the Shrine of the Ages Alumni Choir’s Ireland tour, Songs of the Emerald Isle, conducted by Edith Copley. She was a soprano scholar and soloist at the Amherst Early Music Festival and currently serves as soprano section leader at the Community Church of New York. 

Her operatic credits include Juliette (Roméo et Juliette), La Fée (Cendrillon), and Abigail Williams (The Crucible) during her MM studies at the Manhattan School of Music, with additional roles including the Queen of the Night (Die Zauberflöte), Mabel (The Pirates of Penzance), and Mrs. Wordsworth (Albert Herring) at Northern Arizona University.

An accomplished ensemble singer with early training as a classical violinist, Heather integrates her instrumental background into her vocal artistry. She is deeply committed to contemporary music and has premiered works by Judith Cloud, Alexandros Darna, Struck Yi, and Jonathan Dove.

Her honors include the Opera Singer of Promise Award (NAU), the NSAL Award, the NATS Advanced College Independent Student Award, and the Prescott Chorale Young Artist Competition, all awarded in 2018.

Having overcome vocal trauma, Heather is passionate about empowering singers to embrace every aspect of their voice through healthy technique and intentional practice. She currently maintains a private teaching studio.