Taylor Raven, mezzo-soprano

Taylor Raven, mezzo-soprano

Taylor Raven, mezzo-soprano, is a first-year Pittsburgh Opera Resident Artist in 2016-17. She is scheduled to perform as Oronte/Richard the Lionheart and Hannah after/As One.

In the summer of 2016 Ms. Raven is performing scenes in the Schwabacher Summer Concert with San Fransisco Opera's Merola Opera Program. She recently performed the role of Marian Anderson/Deep River: Marian Anderson Journey with Virginia Opera. As a Young Artist with Central City Opera in 2015, Ms. Raven had scenes as Carmen/Carmen, Mrs. Olsen/Street Scene, and Effie/The Ballad of Baby Doe.

She had a string of successful productions with Eklund Opera while she was earning her Master of Music at The University of Colorado-Boulder. Her roles there included Angelina/La cenerentola, Ottavia/L'incoronazione di Poppea, Ruth/The Pirates of Penzance, and Die Knusperhexe/Hänsel und Gretel. At Colorado University New Opera Workshop in 2014, she premiered The Master as Lady Wolseley, while also performing as The Governess & Miss Loring.

Ms. Raven earned her Bachelor of Music at the University of North Carolina, where she performed as Annio/La clemenza di Tito, Martha/Dream Lovers and La Voix/Les contes d’Hoffman at the University of North Carolina.

In 2015, Ms. Raven won both the Adelaide Bishop Award with Central City Opera and First Place in the Denver Lyric Opera Guild Competition.

Ms. Raven's residency is generously sponsored by Dr. Jean Anne Hattler.

Watch Taylor sing "Seguidilla" from Bizet's Carmen at Pittsburgh Opera's Rising Stars concert on Sept. 18, 2016. The audience chose the final aria of the night; this was their selection.