Grace Ashby is a soprano originally from Hebron, Maryland. She is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Music degree at Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, Virginia, studying in the studio of Dr. Fotina Naumenko. She appeared in the fairy chorus for Shenandoah Conservatory’s production of Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in April 2023. Ashby also had the honor of portraying Marilyn Monroe in Shenandoah Conservatory’s multi-disciplinary collaboration, Caged Birds, in November 2023, which featured music from modern composers including Missy Mazzoli and Santa Ratniece. Ashby participated in the Collaborative Arts: Edgar Allan Poe in Song and Story Recital in Fall 2023 at Shenandoah University where she had the pleasure of working with Suzanne DuPlantis and Laura Ward, two of the founders of Lyric Fest (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). Ashby has been involved in numerous choral ensembles since fall 2022 including Conservatory Choir and had the honor of being the soprano soloist in Amy Beach’s Canticle of the Sun, performed with Shenandoah Conservatory’s Symphony Orchestra and Conservatory Choir in April 2024. During June 2024, Ashby had the pleasure of participating in SongFest’s 2024 Art Song Festival as a studio artist at Pomona College in Claremont, California. In October 2024, Ashby had the opportunity to perform Handel’s Acis and Galatea as Galatea’s Cover and Chorus in Porto, Portugal, and Salamanca, Spain, in collaboration with Shenandoah Conservatory’s Symphony Orchestra and Conservatory Choir. Ashby received first place at the Virginia NATS competition in Musical Theatre and Classical in February 2025 and received honorable mention in Shenandoah Conservatory’s Student Soloists Competition in March 2026. Ashby performed in a production of Verdi’s Falstaff, covering Nannetta in April 2025. She is ecstatic to perform as Gretel in Shenandoah Conservatory’s production of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel and she hopes you enjoy this beloved fairytale on the stage!