Another spring in Boston...
And sharing some big news:)
Hello there,
I’m landing in your inbox this morning to share some reflections on recent work, some big personal news, and a preview of an exciting summer and fall…
I’m still in the afterglow of another fantastic Boston Early Music Festival earlier this month. After weeks of intense rehearsals, it was so fun to perform Livia in Keiser’s Octavia four times in one week for Baroque music super-fans. I also loved attending as many concerts and talks as I could, hearing my stellar colleagues reveal other facets of their singing and scholarship.
I’ve discovered it’s a lot easier to leave Boston when you’ve already got a few more contracts with the Boston Early Music Festival already lined up. In August, I’ll travel with the company to Sweden and Germany to perform the role of Mauxalinda in our hilarious production of The Dragon of Wantley. I’m delighted to return to Stockholm’s charming Baroque theater Confidencen and to make my debut(!!) at the prestigious Musikfest Bremen. We will also record Dragon for the CPO Label — this will be my first album with BEMF! Then in November, another first: my first title role with the company as Stellidaura in Francesco Provenzale’s La Stellidaura vendicante. We found time to read through some of the score while rehearsing for Octavia — the music is *chef’s kiss*.
Some personal news:
I write this summary back home in my little garden level apartment in Chicago, surrounded by half-filled boxes and wads of newspaper because we are gearing up to move to Philadelphia next week! While it’s always bittersweet to start a new chapter, I’m really looking forward to a fresh start in a new city. My husband, Michael, will begin a new job in finance and I am excited for the changes and opportunities this move will have for my own professional life.
Thankfully, I am certain we’ll retain our strong friendships and musical connections to Chicago; I’m set to perform five times in the Windy City by the end of 2025!
In fact, I’ll be back before you know it! I’m excited to perform a Rush Hour Concert on July 22nd at 5:45 pm with my Ars Musica Chicago friends. The program - titled “Italian Baroque Brilliance” will include some Vivaldi and Handel favorites. Then in the fall, I’ll make my debut with Music of the Baroque (as Amore in Gluck’s Orfeo) and return to sing Proserpina/Ninfa with Haymarket Opera in their collaborative production of Jacopo Peri’s Euridice with the Newberry Consort, and sing the soprano solos in Lost Objects with Bella Voce and Sinfonia.
A few more highlights from my upcoming schedule…
As I mentioned above, I’m very, very excited about La Stellidaura vendicante in November with the Boston Early Music Festival. In December, I will make my debut with Washington Bach Consort in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. In spring 2026 I’ll celebrate the release of my debut solo album with concerts and a tour with Les Délices and return to Ars Lyrica Houston to sing Proserpina/Ninfa in Monteverdi’s Orfeo. (My 2025-26 season includes three different operatic adaptations of the Orfeo myth — feels like kismet!)
I feel energized and excited when I think about the future. After a few seasons of slow and steady build-up, this season feels different. Now is the time to push, push, push myself out there in new, bigger ways. My current mantra? Big Hannah not the Little One. It means embracing change, showing up with authenticity and without apology, and savoring every second of connection and joy all while keeping the main thing (singing:) the main thing.
I look forward to sharing my full 2025-26 schedule in September, along with new photos and a website re-design (heyyy, Big Hannah!). In the meantime, if you’ve got the Philly recs, DM me!
Thanks for reading,
Hannah