About

“Up-and-coming soprano” Laura Anne Ayres is heard as a “lovely voice…with the kind of mature, rich phrasing and sound that few young singers possess.” (The Tennessean, Evans Donnell) A native Texan and recent graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, Miss Ayres is quickly becoming known as a champion of living composers. Her Lincoln Center debut featured the New York premiere of Jake Heggie’s cycle “Winter Roses,” with the composer at the keyboard, the premiere of a piece composed for Miss Ayres by Zach Abramson entitled “Remembrance,” and portions of Orfeo ed Euridice (Euridice). Her operatic performances have included The Turn of the Screw (the Governess), I Pagliacci (Nedda), Le nozze di Figaro (Contessa), Così fan tutte (Fiordiligi), La bohème (Mimì), L’Incoronazione di Poppea (Drusilla), The Old Maid and the Thief (Miss Pinkerton), and The Merry Widow (Olga) which marked her debut in her hometown with the Dallas Opera. Miss Ayres was one of the female leads in the New York City premiere of Alessandro Scarlatti’s opera Il primo omicidio playing the part of “Eve.” Her oratorio repertory is both extensive and diverse; recent performances include a Mozart Requiem, Handel Messiah, Vaughan Williams Dona Nobis Pacem, Rossini Petite Messe Solenelle, and Mendelssohn Lobgesang. Miss Ayres has appeared on stage with such renowned maestros as Günther Herbig, Andrew Litton, Charles Dutoit, the late Richard Hickox, David R. Davidson, Lawrence Loh, Bruno Rigacci, Roberto Perata, and the late Craig Smith. Truly passionate about recital collaborations, Miss Ayres has performed with three of today’s most illustrious composers at the keyboard: Jake Heggie, Ricky Ian Gordon, and John Harbison.