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The American lyric soprano, Hannah De Priest, obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Music magna cum laude with honors from William Jewell College (2013). During her undergraduate degree, she spent a year abroad at the University of Cambridge (2012), performing and extensively touring with the Sidney Sussex College Choir under the direction of David Skinner. She obtained her Master of Arts degree in Historical Performance Practices from Case Western Reserve University (2013-2015); and her Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance with emphasis in early music from McGill University in Montréal (2015-2017), where she held an elite fellowship and studied with renowned Canadian soprano Joanne Kolomyjec. She currently studies with soprano and activist Tracy Cox.
Praised for her “impeccable” singing, American lyric soprano Hannah De Priest is quickly developing a reputation for “most masterful” (Olyrix) performances on both sides of the Atlantic. The 2nd Prize Winner of the 2021 International Cesti Competition, she is especially known for “vivid portrayals” of music from the high baroque, but performs an increasingly wide range of repertoire. Opera credits include an “irresistible” (L’Opera) Belinda in Dido & Aeneas, Ïole in George Frideric Handel’s Hercules, Drusilla L'incoronazione di Poppea, and Oberto and Morgana in G.F. Handel's Alcina. Recent performances include Circé and Medée with Les Délices, being named a finalist in North America’s three major Bach Competitions, the Handel Aria Competition (2021), Le Concours Corneille (2019), attending the Carmel Bach Festival as a Virginia Best Adams Vocal Fellow (2018), and covering the lead role in André Campra’s Le Carnaval de Venise as a Young Artist with the Boston Early Music Festival. She also attended the American Bach Soloists Academy in San Francisco (2019). Highlights of the 2021-2022 season include debuts with Oxford Lieder Young Artist Course, Columbus Symphony, Apollo Chorus & Orchestra, and Pegasus Early Music, as well as return engagements with, among others, Les Délices and Bella Voce. With duo partner Michael Pecak, she will perform several recitals, including a program with fortepiano inspired by the repertoire of Classical-Era soprano Josepha Duschek.
Other recent performance credits include multiple engagements of J.S. Bach’s Johannes Passion (BWV 245), Messe in H Moll (BWV 232), G.F. Handel's Messiah and Dixit Dominus, a "most impressive debut" (Chicago Classical Review) with the Newberry Consort, Christmas and touring engagements with Madison Bach Musicians, multiple performance of François Couperin's Leçons de ténèbres with L'Academie du Roi Soleil, and many collaborative projects with Ars Musica Chicago. She has also made appearances with North America’s top ensembles including Music of the Baroque (under the baton of Dame Jane Glover), Grant Park Chorus, Clavecin en concert, and Studio De Musique Ancienne de Montréal. During the peculiar 2020-2021 season, She was twice featured on acclaimed early music webseries SalonEra and participated in online training programs through the Schloss Weißenbrunn Foundation and NYC-based ARTEK (Director: Gwendolyn Toth). Her critically-acclaimed début with ensemble Les Délices, recorded according to COVID-19 guidelines in August and broadcast to audiences in October 2020, was hailed as “sensational.”
Hannah De Priest belongs to Beyond Artists, a coalition of artists that donates a percentage of concert fees to non-profit organizations. She supports Deborah’s Place, an organization that supports women experiencing homelessness in Chicago, with her performances. When she is not practicing and daydreaming about future singing projects, she enjoys cooking vegetarian food, reading detective novels, and going on long walks with her rescue dog, Teddy. |
