Hailing from Harrisburg, PA mezzo-soprano Hannah Shea recently finished a two-year residency as Cafritz Young Artist with the Washington National Opera (WNO). While at the Kennedy Center she was a featured soloist on the 44th Annual Kennedy Center Honors broadcast to honor bass-baritone Justino Díaz, sang the Dritte Magd in Strauss’ Elektra, Mercédès in Carmen, and covered Dorabella in Mozart’s Così fan tutte. She returns to WNO this season to cover Jess in the world premier of Jeanine Tesori’s Grounded. Ms. Shea will also appear with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra this spring to sing the Alto Solo in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. Other recent highlights include appearances with Annapolis Opera as Marcellina in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, the National Symphony Orchestra as the alto soloist in Mozart’s Requiem, and the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera as the alto soloist in Handel’s Messiah. This summer Ms. Shea was a Renée Fleming Artist at the Aspen Music Festival, singing Edith Thibault in Lopez’ Bel Canto and the Alto Solo in Bach’s Magnificat.

Ms. Shea was recently named a National Semi-Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, after winning the Arizona District and Rocky Mountain Region. She was also the first prize winner of the 2022 Annapolis Opera Competition and has been a finalist in other prestigious competitions such as Houston Grand Opera’s Eleanor McCollum Competition.

Previously, Ms. Shea has performed La tasse Chinoise in Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges, Nelda in Kamala Sankaram’s Taking Up Serpents, Third Lady in Die Zauberflöte, Street Singer Soloist in Bernstein’s Mass, and Fidalma in Cimarosa’s Il matrimonio segreto. She is a graduate of Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music (MM) and Carnegie Mellon University (BFA).