Nicole Heaston, an award-winning vocalist and one of the Hop's resident artists this season, graces us with an introduction to her work. Heaston shows excerpts from her popular Purple Robe Song Series as well as clips from her radiant and expressive opera performances. She also discusses her road to becoming an award-winning opera star with Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra Director Filippo Ciabatti. Dartmouth Opera Lab students join the live chat to spark discussion.

About Nicole Heaston

Heaston has been praised as a "warm supple soprano" (The Houston Chronicle) and for her "radiant" and "handsomely resonant voice" (The New York Times). She has appeared with opera companies throughout the world, including the Metropolitan Opera, Houston Grand Opera, San Francisco Opera, Dallas Opera, Washington National Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Semperoper Dresden, Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf and the Glyndebourne Festival in England. Heaston played the title role in Alcina at Theater Basel, Alice Ford in Falstaff at the Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville and performed in Brahms' Requiem with the Houston Symphony.

Heaston has established a long-standing relationship with Houston Grand Opera, beginning as a member of the Houston Grand Opera Studio. Her debut with the company was in the title role of Roméo et Juliette and she also created the title role in Houston Grand Opera's world premiere of Jackie O. Since her debut at the Metropolitan Opera as Zerlina in Don Giovanni, she has appeared regularly with the theater, singing Ilia in Mozart's Idomeneo, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte (conducted by James Levine) and Echo in Ariadne auf Naxos. 

Her various awards and prizes include the Shoshana Foundation Grant, Robert Weede Corbett Award, Opera Guild of Dayton Competition, Opera/Columbus Competition, San Antonio Opera Guild Competition, Metropolitan Opera Regional Audition-Encouragement Award and Houston Grand Opera's Eleanor McCollum Award Competition.