Opera News has applauded American soprano Liz Lang for her "comedic timing and clear resonant tone."
Known for her crossover abilities throughout multiple genres, Liz begins the 24/25 season with a Gala for Voices of Ascension in New York’s James Burden Mansion, appears as the soprano soloist in Bach’s Magnificat with Bach Vespers Choir & Orchestra, and competes as a finalist in the illustrious Joy in Singing International Art Song Competition. She makes her company debut with Modus Operandi Orchestra in Handel’s Messiah and embarks on an innovative, multi-state tour of Britten’s Ceremony of Carols with Ballet Hartford. Audiences in New York City, Philadelphia, and Winston-Salem will experience a fresh take on the classic winter song cycle, featuring a trio of soloists, harp, and world premiere choreography. Liz makes her company debut with New York Choral Society as the soprano soloist in Bach’s Magnificat and Reena Esmail’s This Love Between Us, led by David Hayes, continues a successful streak of multi-genre recitals with her newest performance piece exploring her Lebanese heritage, and other performances to be announced.
An exciting string of recent debuts include her first appearances with MasterVoices for the NYC premiere of Doug Varone’s To My Arms / Restore, led by Ted Sperling, her repertoire debut singing Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with Riverside Orchestra, her role debut as Mimì in La Bohème with The Savannah Voice Festival, and the NYC premiere of Michael Mott’s Into the Light as part of the new Broadway Workroom Series. She also appeared as the soprano soloist in Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass and Mozart’s Requiem with Voices of Ascension, a sold-out salon night hosted by opera great James Morris, a masterclass with Frederica von Stade, and was the soprano soloist cover for Mendelssohn’s Elijah at Carnegie Hall with the Oratorio Society of New York. Known for curating genre-bending and intricate recitals, she recently debuted I’m not mad, a multi-genre thought piece exploring the psychology of Ophelia and brought her acclaimed recital Prohibition to New York which features classical and jazz music previously censored or banned for a variety of provocative and perilous reasons. She was delighted to travel to Venice, Italy for an artist residency and writing retreat to begin work on her newest show.
Bringing “touches of smoldering drama” (Musical America) to operatic and musical stages alike, Liz recently made her Off-Broadway debut as Glinda in Wicked/Wasted with Drunk Musicals and joined the first cast of Barn on Fire with Fire Island Pines Project and New York Theater Barn. This new musical residency, mentored by Broadway’s Jerry Mitchell, was designed to support original, culture-shifting musicals in development and was featured on SiriusXM with Broadway Names host Julie James. Liz previously collaborated with long-time pianist and colleague Michael A. Ferrara in a joint residency with the Rogers & Hammerstein Foundation and the National Asian Artists Project to perform selections from R&H shows and recent Broadway highlights from The Prom, Once on this Island, Phantom of the Opera and more, led and narrated by leading industry professionals and conductors. Other recent highlights include a reading of a new musical by Jack Coen about intergalactic aliens, a Javanese Purim spiel with Gamelan Son of Lion, her role debut as Fiona in Brigadoon, concerts with the Equinox Swing Orchestra, and an anniversary party for Coca-Cola at the Statue of Liberty with her jazz-fusion band.
Liz made her Lincoln Center debut in March 2018 in a new production of La Traviata with the Philharmonic Orchestra of New York as Annina and the Violetta cover, following her professional debut and highly acclaimed interpretation of Iris in Handel’s Semele with Opera Omaha. In this new production directed by James Darrah and conducted by Grammy award winner Stephen Stubbs, "Liz Lang stole her scenes as a spritely Iris with her iridescent soprano" (Omaha World Herald) and "provided some much welcome comic relief" (Wall Street Journal).
Other operatic achievements include Blanche in Dialogues of the Carmelites, Atalanta in Serse, Edilia in the first complete American performance of Handel’s Almira with members of the Boston Early Music Festival, Papagena in Die Zauberflöte and soprano soloist in Handel’s L’Allegro il Penseroso at the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, Adina in L’elisir d’amore, Violetta in La Traviata, the Foreign Woman in The Consul, Frasquita in Carmen, and Shirley Kaplan in Street Scene. Liz was a semifinalist in the American Traditions Vocal Competition and is the winner of the 2019 Sherrill Milnes American Opera Award.
Liz has been a soloist at Carnegie Hall, the Juilliard School, The New American Songbook Orchestra, Kollective366, Stonington Opera House, Bard Summerscape, with Grammy award winner Paul O’Dette, the Salzburg Festival in Austria, and throughout Italy. She has enjoyed solo orchestral performances including the Requiems of Brahms and Fauré, and Ben Yarmolinsky’s The Constitution: a Secular Oratorio with the Vertical Player Repertory and Grace Chorale as part of New York Opera Fest where she “almost stole the show with her easy-breezy tone and high-octane scatting” (Parterre Box).
Liz earned her Master of Music in Vocal Performance and Literature from the Eastman School of Music in the studio of Rita Shane after completing her Bachelor of Music degrees in Opera and Music Theatre at Oklahoma City University under the leadership of Dr. Frank Ragsdale. She is based in New York City coaching with Metropolitan Opera tenor, John McVeigh and long-time Met Opera broadcast commentator, Ira Siff.