{{short description|American operatic soprano}} '''Tamara Wilson''' (born c. 1982)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://barczablog.com/2012/08/31/10fortamarawilso/|title=10 Questions for Tamara Wilson|date=August 31, 2012|work=barczablog}}</ref> is an American operatic soprano who has had an active international opera career since 2007. She has performed leading roles at the Canadian Opera Company, the English National Opera, the Houston Grand Opera, the Liceu, the Metropolitan Opera, the Paris Opera, and the Sydney Opera House among others. She is particularly known for her performances of heroines in the operas of Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner. In 2016 she was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera and was awarded the Richard Tucker Award, an award described by ''Opera News'' as "one of the most prestigious prizes in opera".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.operanews.com/Opera_News_Magazine/2016/4/News/Tamara_Wilson_Tucker_Prize.html|title=Soprano Tamara Wilson Named as Winner of the 2016 Richard Tucker Award|work=Opera News|date=April 4, 2016|access-date=April 19, 2016|archive-date=April 8, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408034639/http://www.operanews.com/Opera_News_Magazine/2016/4/News/Tamara_Wilson_Tucker_Prize.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/04/04/tamara-wilson-wins-2016-richard-tucker-award/?_r=0|title=Tamara Wilson Wins 2016 Richard Tucker Award|author=Michael Cooper|work=The New York Times|date=April 4, 2016|access-date=April 19, 2016|archive-date=March 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319084728/https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/04/04/tamara-wilson-wins-2016-richard-tucker-award/?_r=0|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Early life and education== Born in Arizona, Wilson grew up in the Chicago area. Her mother is a retired choir director and accompanist and her father has a career in the railroad industry.<ref name="SMH">{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/arts/walking-in-water-but-still-singing-pretty/2009/07/06/1246732281096.html?page=2|title=Walking in water but still singing pretty|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=July 7, 2009|access-date=April 19, 2016|archive-date=March 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319084919/https://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/arts/walking-in-water-but-still-singing-pretty/2009/07/06/1246732281096.html?page=2|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.wqxr.org/#!/story/soprano-tamara-wilson-wins-2016-richard-tucker-award/|title=Soprano Tamara Wilson Wins 2016 Richard Tucker Award|date=April 4, 2016|author=Amanda Angel|work=WQXR-FM|access-date=April 19, 2016|archive-date=May 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522203941/https://www.wqxr.org/#!/story/soprano-tamara-wilson-wins-2016-richard-tucker-award/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="HC">{{cite news|url=http://www.houstonchronicle.com/entertainment/arts-theater/article/Tamara-Wilson-the-accidental-soprano-to-give-5909724.php|title=Tamara Wilson, the accidental soprano, to give benefit recital|work=Houston Chronicle|author=Steven Brown|date=November 21, 2014|access-date=April 19, 2016|archive-date=May 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507154551/http://www.houstonchronicle.com/entertainment/arts-theater/article/Tamara-Wilson-the-accidental-soprano-to-give-5909724.php|url-status=live}}</ref> She graduated from Waubonsie Valley High School in 1999.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://ynschoirs.org/2020/06/16/naperville-native-and-yns-alum-takes-on-aida-at-met/|title=Naperville Native and YNS Alum takes on 'Aida' at Met|journal=Young Naperville Singers|author= Jane Donahue|access-date=October 15, 2024}}</ref>
Wilson earned a Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance from the University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music in 2004 where she was a pupil of soprano Barbara Honn.<ref name="ON">{{cite news|url=http://www.operanews.com/Opera_News_Magazine/2013/11/Departments/Sound_Bites__Tamara_Wilson.html|title=Sound Bites: Tamara Wilson|author=Brian Kellow|work=Opera News|year=2013|access-date=2016-04-19|archive-date=2016-04-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160410014250/http://www.operanews.com/Opera_News_Magazine/2013/11/Departments/Sound_Bites__Tamara_Wilson.html|url-status=live}}</ref> That same year she was a finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions; a competition she entered on a whim without any serious intent in pursuing an opera career.<ref name="HC"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/23/arts/music-review-some-opera-stars-of-tomorrow-vying-for-a-career-jump-start.html|title=MUSIC REVIEW; Some Opera Stars of Tomorrow Vying for a Career Jump-Start|work=The New York Times|author=Jeremy Eichler|date=March 23, 2004|access-date=June 24, 2023|archive-date=January 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125235113/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/23/arts/music-review-some-opera-stars-of-tomorrow-vying-for-a-career-jump-start.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Her performance in the Met finals drew the attention of Diane Zola, the then General Manager at the Houston Grand Opera (HGO), and she subsequently joined the Young Artist Program at the HGO in 2005.<ref name="ON"/>
==Career== Wilson's big break came in 2007 when she made her opera debut replacing Patricia Racette for the entire run of the HGO's opening production of the 2007–2008 season as Amelia in Verdi's ''Un ballo in maschera'' to critical success.<ref name="ON"/><ref name=HC/> She has since returned to the HGO stage as two more Verdi heroines; Elisabetta in ''Don Carlos'' (2012) and Leonora in ''Il trovatore'' (2013), and is set to return as the Marschallin in ''Der Rosenkavalier'' in 2027<ref>{{Cite web |title=Houston Grand Opera - On Stage Der Rosenkavalier |url=https://www.houstongrandopera.org//on-stage/der-rosenkavalier |access-date=2026-05-29 |website=www.houstongrandopera.org |language=en}}</ref>. In 2008 she portrayed Countess Almaviva in ''The Marriage of Figaro'' with the Berkshire Opera Company and was awarded a Sara Tucker Study Grant from the Richard Tucker Music Foundation.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.curtainup.com/figaroberkopera08.html|title=A CurtainUp Berkshire Review; The Marriage of Figaro/Le nozze di Figaro|work=CurtainUp|date=August 2008|author=Elyse Sommer|access-date=2016-04-19|archive-date=2013-09-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130901055657/http://curtainup.com/figaroberkopera08.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="HC"/> She was later a recipient of the Richard Tucker Career Grant in 2011.<ref name="HC"/>
In 2009 Wilson portrayed the title role in Verdi's ''Aida'' at the Sydney Opera House for Opera Australia; the first of many performances of that role.<ref name="SMH"/> Later that year she portrayed Alice Ford in ''Falstaff'' for her debut at the Washington National Opera; returning to the WNO in 2010 as Amelia.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/12/AR2009101201242.html|title=Washington National Opera Performs Verdi's 'Falstaff'|author=Anne Midgette|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=October 13, 2009|access-date=June 24, 2023|archive-date=March 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319084826/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/12/AR2009101201242.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/12/AR2010091203371.html|title=Washington National Opera's 'Un Ballo in Maschera'|author=Anne Midgette|author-link=Anne Midgette|date=September 13, 2010|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=June 24, 2023|archive-date=February 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170222153511/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/12/AR2010091203371.html|url-status=live}}</ref> She also appeared at the Canadian Opera Company (COC) in 2009–2010 as Amelia Grimaldi in Verdi's ''Simon Boccanegra'', and as Elettra in Mozart's ''Idomeneo''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.stage-door.com/Theatre/2009/Entries/2009/4/16_Simon_Boccanegra.html|title=Review: Simon Boccanegra|work=stage-door.com|date=April 16, 2009|author=Christopher Hoile|access-date=April 20, 2016|archive-date=April 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417070429/http://www.stage-door.com/Theatre/2009/Entries/2009/4/16_Simon_Boccanegra.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
In 2011 Wilson made her debut at Carnegie Hall singing the role of the Virgin Mary in Honegger’s ''Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher'' with conductor Marin Alsop leading the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and made her debut at the Los Angeles Opera as Miss Jessel in Britten's ''The Turn of the Screw''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/22/arts/music/baltimore-symphonys-joan-of-arc-at-carnegie-hall-review.html|title=Joan of Arc Tells Her Story, and a Choral Force Replies|date=November 21, 2011|author=Vivien Schweitzer|work=The New York Times |access-date=June 24, 2023|archive-date=March 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330121218/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/22/arts/music/baltimore-symphonys-joan-of-arc-at-carnegie-hall-review.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2011/03/opera-review-los-angeles-opera-the-turn-of-the-screw.html|title=Opera review: Los Angeles Opera 'The Turn of the Screw'|date=March 13, 2011|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=April 19, 2016|archive-date=May 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507212326/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2011/03/opera-review-los-angeles-opera-the-turn-of-the-screw.html|url-status=live}}</ref> That same year she made her European debut as Ada in Wagner's ''Die Feen'' at the Oper Frankfurt and performed Aida for her debut at the Municipal Theatre of Santiago. Her performance as Ada was recorded for the Oehms Classics label.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.operanews.com/Opera_News_Magazine/2013/11/Recordings/WAGNER__Die_Feen.html|title=WAGNER: Die Feen|volume=78|number=5|work=Opera News|date=November 2013|author=David J. Baker|access-date=2016-04-19|archive-date=2018-03-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319085635/https://www.operanews.com/Opera_News_Magazine/2013/11/Recordings/WAGNER__Die_Feen.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
In 2012 Wilson made her debut at the Théâtre du Capitole as Leonora, returned to the Canadian Opera Company as Rosalinde in ''Die Fledermaus'', and made her debut at the Ravinia Festival as Elettra in ''Idomeneo'' with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under conductor James Conlon.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.musicaltoronto.org/2012/10/04/review-christopher-alden-puts-bats-in-canadian-opera-company-die-fledermaus-belfry/|title=Review: Christopher Alden puts bats in Canadian Opera Company Die Fledermaus belfry|author=John Terauds|date=October 4, 2012|work=Musical Toronto|access-date=April 20, 2016|archive-date=May 9, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160509022008/http://www.musicaltoronto.org/2012/10/04/review-christopher-alden-puts-bats-in-canadian-opera-company-die-fledermaus-belfry/|url-status=live}}</ref> She later returned to Ravinia in 2014 to perform the role of Donna Anna in Mozart's ''Don Giovanni''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/ct-lyric-singers-tucker-foundation-awards-20160403-column.html|title=Lyric singers receive Tucker Foundation awards|author=John von Rhein|date=April 3, 2016|work=Chicago Tribune|access-date=April 19, 2016|archive-date=April 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160420230142/http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/ct-lyric-singers-tucker-foundation-awards-20160403-column.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2013 she returned to Carnegie Hall to perform the role of Malwina in Heinrich Marschner's ''Der Vampyr'' with the American Symphony Orchestra.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/22/arts/music/american-symphony-orchestra-performs-marschners-vampire.html|title=186-Year-Old Vampire Haunts Carnegie Hall|work=The New York Times|date=March 22, 2013|author=Vivien Schweitzer|access-date=June 24, 2023|archive-date=May 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210505193640/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/22/arts/music/american-symphony-orchestra-performs-marschners-vampire.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
In 2014 Wilson made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera as Aida.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/31/arts/music/stephen-costello-and-tamara-wilson-show-opposing-approaches.html|title=When Singing Verdi, Perfection Is No Substitute for Passion|date=December 30, 2014|author=Zachary Woolfe|author-link=Zachary Woolfe|work=The New York Times|access-date=June 24, 2023|archive-date=August 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220820164412/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/31/arts/music/stephen-costello-and-tamara-wilson-show-opposing-approaches.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2015 she made her debut at the English National Opera as Leonora in Verdi's ''La forza del destino''; a performance which earned her an Olivier Award nomination.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/18/arts/international/review-force-of-destiny-at-the-english-national-opera.html|title=Review: 'Force of Destiny' at the English National Opera|author=Michael White|work=The New York Times|date=November 17, 2015|access-date=June 24, 2023|archive-date=September 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925044349/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/18/arts/international/review-force-of-destiny-at-the-english-national-opera.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Also that year she performed Aida at the Aspen Music Festival and the Teatro Principal de Palma de Mallorca.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.aspentimes.com/news/17557524-113/tamara-wilson-stars-in-aspen-music-fests-aida|title=Tamara Wilson stars in Aspen Music Fest's 'Aida'|date=August 7, 2015|work=The Aspen Times|author=Andrew Travers|author-link=Andrew Travers|access-date=April 19, 2016|archive-date=May 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160505104535/http://www.aspentimes.com/news/17557524-113/tamara-wilson-stars-in-aspen-music-fests-aida|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.diariodemallorca.es/sociedad-cultura/2015/09/29/josep-bros-tamara-wilson-mejores/1058690.html|title=Josep Bros y Tamara Wilson, las mejores voces|date=September 29, 2015|work=Diario de Mallorca|access-date=April 19, 2016|archive-date=May 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506165911/http://www.diariodemallorca.es/sociedad-cultura/2015/09/29/josep-bros-tamara-wilson-mejores/1058690.html|url-status=live}}</ref> She appeared as Amelia at the Deutsche Oper Berlin in 2016<ref>{{cite news|url=https://deutscheoperberlin.de/en_EN/ensemble/114465|title=Tamara Wilson|date=2024|work=Deutsche Oper Berlin|access-date=October 15, 2024}}</ref> and as Elisabetta at the Bayerische Staatsoper in 2017.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.schmopera.com/scene/people/tamara-wilson/|website=schmopera.com|date=2019|access-date=October 15, 2024 |title=Tamara Wilson }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://operabase.com/a/Tamara_Wilson/16634|title=Tamara Wilson|work=operabase.com|accessdate=April 26, 2016|archive-date=June 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601051316/http://operabase.com/a/Tamara_Wilson/16634|url-status=live}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== *{{official website|http://www.tamarawilsonsoprano.com/}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Tamara}} Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:American operatic sopranos Category:Richard Tucker Award winners Category:University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music alumni Category:Singers from Chicago Category:Classical musicians from Illinois Category:21st-century American women Category:Richard F. Gold Career Grant recipients