With a voice described as "clarion" and "radiant" and portrayals as "simply heartbreaking in their passion and pathos" soprano Erica Strauss continues to garner attention for her opera and recital performances. Recent appearances include Mimi in Puccini's La Boheme with Boheme Opera of New Jersey and an appearance with the Metro Chamber Orchestra for New York City's annual WWII Victory Day Commemoration concert at City Hall. Other engagements include Leonora in Verdi's Il Trovatore with Opera New Jersey, Mimi in La Boheme with Cedar Rapids Opera Theater and concerts with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and Metro Chamber Orchestra.
Erica made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Marianne Leitmetzerin in Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier. This production was part of the Met's Live in HD series and was broadcast in movie theaters around the globe and nationally on PBS. She has also been seen at the Met singing the role of Anna in Verdi's Nabucco.
Other previous operatic engagements include Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto with Sarasota Opera, a debut with the Cleveland Orchestra as Marianne Leitmetzerin in a semi-staged production of Der Rosenkavalier conducted by Franz Welser-Möst and covers of Leonora in Il Trovatore and First Lady in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, at Lyric Opera of Chicago. Her concert engagements include the Soprano Soloist in Verdi’s Messa da Requiem with the Tulsa Oratorio Chorus and the Santa Barbara Choral Society, excerpts from Dvorak’s Rusalka with the Green Bay Symphony Orchestra and the Soprano Soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony no. 9 with the Chicago Philharmonic.
An alumna of the Lyric Opera Center for American Artists (now the Ryan Opera Center) Erica made her Lyric Opera of Chicago debut as the Priestess in Verdi's Aida under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis. She has been seen at the Lyric as First Lady in Die Zauberflöte, Micaëla in Bizet's Carmen and Marianne Leitmetzerin in Der Rosenkavalier. While a member of the Lyric Opera Center Ensemble she performed numerous roles including Rosalinda in Strauss's Die Fledermaus, Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni, and Nella in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi and was involved in productions of Wagner's Das Rheingold, Die Walküre and the world premiere of William Bolcom's opera A Wedding.
Apart from her operatic engagements, Erica is an accomplished and gifted recital artist, most recently making her Weill Hall debut in a duo recital presented by the Marilyn Horne Legacy. She has been involved with the Marilyn Horne Foundation since 2005 and has been presented in numerous recitals under their auspices including an On Wings of Song recital series debut in New York, residencies and recitals at both Oberlin College and the Cleveland Art Song Festival, an On Wings of Song recital at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art and a Zankel Hall debut as a performer in Miss Horne’s The Song Continues birthday gala. Many of these performances were broadcast in New York on WQXR and nationally through WFMT. Erica was also privileged to join Marilyn Horne for a broadcast of Saint Paul Sunday on NPR, singing repertoire from her various recitals and speaking with host Bill McGlaughlin. She has also performed on the Pro Musica Detroit recital series, the Chicago Cultural Center's Classical Mondays series and at California State University Channel Islands.
A native of New York, Erica received her training at Mannes College of Music and holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the school. In addition to her time at the Lyric Opera Center for American Artists, she is an alumna of Music Academy of the West and has been a member of both the Sarasota Opera Apprentice and Studio Artist programs.
Erica is the recipient of numerous prestigious honors and awards including First Prize in the Gerda Lissner Foundation competition, a Sullivan Foundation Grant, a Richard F. Gold Career Grant and awards from the Marilyn Horne Foundation, Liederkranz Foundation, Metropolitan Opera National Council, Jose Iturbi International Music Competition, Opera Index, American Opera Society of Chicago and The Musicians Club of Women.
Erica made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Marianne Leitmetzerin in Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier. This production was part of the Met's Live in HD series and was broadcast in movie theaters around the globe and nationally on PBS. She has also been seen at the Met singing the role of Anna in Verdi's Nabucco.
Other previous operatic engagements include Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto with Sarasota Opera, a debut with the Cleveland Orchestra as Marianne Leitmetzerin in a semi-staged production of Der Rosenkavalier conducted by Franz Welser-Möst and covers of Leonora in Il Trovatore and First Lady in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, at Lyric Opera of Chicago. Her concert engagements include the Soprano Soloist in Verdi’s Messa da Requiem with the Tulsa Oratorio Chorus and the Santa Barbara Choral Society, excerpts from Dvorak’s Rusalka with the Green Bay Symphony Orchestra and the Soprano Soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony no. 9 with the Chicago Philharmonic.
An alumna of the Lyric Opera Center for American Artists (now the Ryan Opera Center) Erica made her Lyric Opera of Chicago debut as the Priestess in Verdi's Aida under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis. She has been seen at the Lyric as First Lady in Die Zauberflöte, Micaëla in Bizet's Carmen and Marianne Leitmetzerin in Der Rosenkavalier. While a member of the Lyric Opera Center Ensemble she performed numerous roles including Rosalinda in Strauss's Die Fledermaus, Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni, and Nella in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi and was involved in productions of Wagner's Das Rheingold, Die Walküre and the world premiere of William Bolcom's opera A Wedding.
Apart from her operatic engagements, Erica is an accomplished and gifted recital artist, most recently making her Weill Hall debut in a duo recital presented by the Marilyn Horne Legacy. She has been involved with the Marilyn Horne Foundation since 2005 and has been presented in numerous recitals under their auspices including an On Wings of Song recital series debut in New York, residencies and recitals at both Oberlin College and the Cleveland Art Song Festival, an On Wings of Song recital at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art and a Zankel Hall debut as a performer in Miss Horne’s The Song Continues birthday gala. Many of these performances were broadcast in New York on WQXR and nationally through WFMT. Erica was also privileged to join Marilyn Horne for a broadcast of Saint Paul Sunday on NPR, singing repertoire from her various recitals and speaking with host Bill McGlaughlin. She has also performed on the Pro Musica Detroit recital series, the Chicago Cultural Center's Classical Mondays series and at California State University Channel Islands.
A native of New York, Erica received her training at Mannes College of Music and holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the school. In addition to her time at the Lyric Opera Center for American Artists, she is an alumna of Music Academy of the West and has been a member of both the Sarasota Opera Apprentice and Studio Artist programs.
Erica is the recipient of numerous prestigious honors and awards including First Prize in the Gerda Lissner Foundation competition, a Sullivan Foundation Grant, a Richard F. Gold Career Grant and awards from the Marilyn Horne Foundation, Liederkranz Foundation, Metropolitan Opera National Council, Jose Iturbi International Music Competition, Opera Index, American Opera Society of Chicago and The Musicians Club of Women.