Audrey Luna Biography

Rigoletto Cast

Audrey Elizabeth Luna (Gilda)

Soprano Audrey Elizabeth Luna is fast emerging as one of the country's brightest young artists, commanding "a voice capable of soaring powerfully into the stratosphere" (Cincinnati Enquirer). As a resident artist with the Pittsburgh Opera, Ms. Luna recently stepped in at the last minute for the entire run of Die Zauberflöte as The Queen of the Night to rave reviews. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette describes her portrayal as "a rush of energy and a gorgeous vocal quality."

In 2009-10 Audrey Elizabeth Luna returns to the National Philharmonic as soloist in Brahms' Requiem, Makris' Symphony for Soprano and Strings, and Vivaldi's Gloria, all under Stan Engebretson; sings Gilda in Rigoletto with San Antonio Opera; Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel with Syracuse Opera; and performs as soloist in Messiah with East Texas Symphony Orchestra. Her 2008-09 season included singing Queen of the Night with Opera Hamilton and with El Paso Opera; the role of Blondchen in The Abduction from the Seraglio in a return to Hawaii Opera Theatre; Cunegonde in Candide with Toledo Opera; as soloist in Carmina Burana with the National Philharmonic, also with the Sioux City Symphony; as soloist with the Marina del Rey Symphony in an opera gala concert; and in Messiah in Highland Park United Methodist Church's Tower Series. In summer of 2009 she sings an evening of arias with the Marina del Rey Summer Symphony. Recent highlights included her return to Pittsburgh Opera as a resident artist in the role of The Controller in Jonathan Dove's Flight and as Giulietta in I Capuleti e i Montecchi; Juliette in Roméo et Juliette and Anne in Sondheim's A Little Night Music, both for Hawaii Opera Theatre; Queen of the Night with the Pittsburgh Opera, Emerald City Opera, and Ohio Northern University; the role of Erisbe in Cavalli's Ormindo with Pittsburgh Opera and Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia with the Portland Opera Music Festival. She was a soloist with Capital University's Conservatory of Music in Carmina Burana, and appeared in recital, making her European debut, at the Bach to Bartók Festival in Imola, Italy.

Ms. Luna's other operatic credits include the role of Gilda with Aspen Opera Theater, Fido in Paul Bunyan with Opera Omaha, Adina in L'elisir d'amore and Belinda in Dido and Aeneas with the Bel Canto Northwest Festival, and Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance with The Pentacle Theater in Portland, Oregon. As an apprentice artist with Santa Fe Opera, Ms. Luna sang the role of Accuser in Bright Sheng's world premiere of Madame Mao and also performed in Santa Fe Opera's scenes program in such roles as Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos and Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor. With the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music she has sung Mélisande in Pelléas et Mélisande, and Mary Warren in The Crucible.

Audrey Elizabeth Luna is the 2009 winner of the Loren L. Zachary Vocal Competition and received the top prize awarded in the 2009 Renata Tebaldi International Voice Competition. She has also been awarded first place in the Altamura/Caruso International Voice Competition and the Eleanor Lieber Awards, an Encouragement Grant from the George London Foundation, and prizes from the José Iturbi International Voice Competition, Elardo International Opera Competition, the Irene Dalis International Voice Competition, the Marquerite McCammon Voice Competition, the Liederkranz Foundation, the Jensen Foundation, the Irma Cooper International Voice Competition, the Lee Schaenen Foundation, the Gerda Lissner Foundation, the Giulio Gari Foundation, the Licia Albanese - Puccini Foundation, and the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.