Laura Wilde

American soprano Laura Wilde has been praised by Opera News as having “a ravishingly beautiful sound, [and] a fine sense of style and character.” Recently, Laura Wilde performed the title role in a new production of Korngold’s Violanta at Deutsche Oper Berlin, Ortlinde in Die Walküre at Opéra national de Paris, as well as at the Los Angeles Philharmonic with Gustavo Dudamel, Des Moines Metro Opera as the title role in Tosca, Liza in Pique Dame with Garsington Festival, the title role in Salome with Malmö Opera, the Guardian of the Temple in Die Frau ohne Schatten at the Metropolitan Opera Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Oregon Symphony and Freia in Das Rheingold with The Dallas Symphony and Fabio Luisi.

Highlights of recent seasons include the title role in Salome with Houston Grand Opera, Ellen Orford in Peter Grimes at the Metropolitan Opera, Tosca at Kaohsiung Philharmonic in Taiwan, Arizona Opera, Janáček’s Jenůfa with the Staatsoper Hamburg, Santa Fe Opera and English National Opera, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte and Agathe at Staatstheater Stuttgart, Sieglinde in Die Walküre with Atlanta Opera, Mimi in La bohème with Utah Opera, the title role of Káťa Kabanová with the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma and Scottish Opera, Washington National Opera as Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni in a film produced by Seattle Opera, the Opéra national de Paris as the Fifth Maid in Elektra, the Fourth Maid with The Dallas Opera, Freia, Ortlinde and the cover of Sieglinde in Das Rheingold and Die Walküre, respectively, as part of David Pountney’s new Ring Cycle conducted by Sir Andrew Davis at Lyric Opera of Chicago, Ortlinde for Act III of Die Walküre with Gustavo Dudamel at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gretel with Sir Andrew Davis at the Edinburgh Festival and Melbourne Symphony, The Dallas Opera as Laura in Korngold’s Der Ring des Polykrates, Micaëla in Carmen with Nashville Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis as Vitellia in La Clemenza di Tito, Jane Withersteen in the world premiere of Craig Bohmler’s Riders of the Purple Sage and Mamah Cheney in the world premiere of Daron Hagen’s Shining Brow, both at Arizona Opera, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with the Berkshire Opera Festival, as well as Freia, and the Foreign Princess in Rusalka with Des Moines Metro Opera. Finally, as a cover, she learned Eva in Die Meistersinger with the Metropolitan Opera.

In concert, Ms. Wilde has shared the stage with mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe and baritone Quinn Kelsey in the inaugural season of Beyond the Aria recital series at Chicago’s Harris Theater, accompanied by Craig Terry. She has presented solo recitals at the Marcus Center in Milwaukee, her hometown of Watertown, South Dakota and at South Dakota State University, all with Craig Terry, performed Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Charlotte Symphony, Brahms’ Requiem with the South Dakota Symphony, and Strauss’ Vier letzte Lieder with the Elgin Symphony in Illinois.

As a member of the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Ms. Wilde covered Renée Fleming in Capriccio and the role of Marta in The Passenger, performed Marianne Leitmetzerin in Der Rosenkavalier and covered Marschallin. She also covered the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro, Hanna in The Merry Widow and sang the role of Anna in Nabucco. Additionally, she covered the roles of Foreign Princess in Rusalka, and Vitellia in La clemenza di Tito.

Originally from Watertown, South Dakota, Wilde’s love of music began with the trumpet. While attending the prestigious Interlochen Arts Camp as a trumpet player, she discovered her classical voice and was encouraged to pursue that musical avenue as well. She attended St. Olaf College for her undergraduate degree, focusing first on trumpet performance. Singing, however, became her true musical passion, and she graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance. Ms. Wilde earned her Master of Music degree from Indiana University, where she studied with Costanza Cuccaro. She is a winner of a 2018 Mabel Dorn Reeder Foundation Award from Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, 2017 Sullivan Grant award winner, 2016 Sara Tucker Study Grant from the Richard Tucker Foundation, the 2016 Luminarts

Women’s Voice Fellowship, the 2015 Jerome and Elaine Nerenberg Award, and the 2015 Musicians Club of Women Eleanor Pearce Sherwin Award from the American Opera Society of Chicago. She currently resides in Baltimore, Maryland.