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The American mezzo-soprano, Tascha Anderson, earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Pepperdine University (2010-2012); and her Master of Music degree from The Boston Conservatory (2013-2015). In 2015, she was awarded both the 3rd Place in Opera and the Encouragement Award in Art Song from The American Prize, and in 2016 was a finalist in the professional divisions of both the National Opera Association Dominick Argento Competition and the Classical Singer Competition.
Praised by Opera News as "a warm, elegant mezzo,” Tascha Anderson and has also been esteemed as “emotionally rich,” “a brassy mezzo with flair,” “vivacious,” and “a wild one.” She recently made her debut with the Oratorio Society of Richmond, portraying the role of Daniel in George Frideric Handel’s Susanna, performed on International Women’s Day, March 8. She also had the privilege of previewing excerpts from the show on NPR, the week of the performance. Next up, Ms. Anderson will join the company of Holland America/Princess Cruise Lines in an original musical entitled The Music of Denali, in Alaska. This production was originally scheduled for summer 2020, but has been postponed to next year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
An advocate of contemporary music and new opera enthusiast, Tascha Anderson premiered the role of Pamela Yusupov in Evan Mack’s Roscoe with Albany Symphony alongside renowned soprano Deborah Voigt in October of 2016, just after she created the role the summer before, at Seagle Music Colony. The Albany Times Union admired her as “a vocal standout,” and “the seductress in red.” Building on a strong working relationship with Evan Mack, she has since toured his first opera, Angel of the Amazon several times, performing at such places as the United States Botanical Garden at the U.S. Capitol, and Vashon Island, Oregon. Last January (2020), she Anderson performed with Grammy Award Winning Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) in the Boston premiere and recording of Haroun and the Sea of Stories, one of several new music recordings she is featured on. Shortly after, she made her debut with Encompass New Opera Theatre to again portray arias from Mack's Angel of the Amazon, as part of a concert at the National Opera Center sponsored by American Opera Projects.
Notable recent credits and favorite roles include the title role in The Tragedy of Carmen with Tri-Cities Opera and Charlottesville Opera, Older Alyce in Tom Cipullo’s Glory Denied with Tri-Cities Opera, Florinda in Into the Woods with Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre, Pastore 4 in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo with Chautauqua Opera, and Jacqueline in Charles Gounod’s Le médecin malgré lui with Odyssey Opera, under the baton of Grammy Award winning maestro Gil Rose. The Boston Globe hailed Tascha Anderson's debut with Odyssey Opera as "memorable" and OPERA magazine celebrated her as bringing about an "alert present, well-honed, and agile mezzo."
A versatile singer in both opera and concert repertoire, Tascha Anderson recently appeared with Minnesota Bach Ensemble as the alto soloist in J.S. Bach's Cantata BWV 88 and the alto soloist in Ottorino Respighi's Il tramonto with Boston's Symphony Nova. Additionally, with an extensive background in dance training, she is equally comfortable in the Musical Theatre repertoire. She has made appearances as Petra (A Little Night Music) both Florinda and the Stepmother (Into the Woods), Eulalie Shinn (The Music Man), Mrs. Winthrop (The Secret Garden), and has appeared as featured ensemble in many others. Broadway World described her dancing as Succubus in The Mystery of Edwin Drood as "magical."
Tascha Anderson can be heard on several recordings, including Michael Dellaria’s The Leopard as the Princess, a project that was produced by American Opera Projects, as well as the aforementioned BMOP recording. She is also featured in recordings of the composer John Davies’ children’s operas Goldie B Locks and the Three Singing Bears, and The Bremen Town Musicians, found on the composer’s website, and has worked with Boston’s Vox Futura ensemble since 2015, appearing on various video game and film score recordings.
Other role credits include Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Isabella in L’Italiana in Algeri, Mother Goose in Igor Stravinsky's The Rake’s Progress, Virginia Woolf in From the Diary of Virginia Woolf, Bianca in Benjamin Britten's The Rape of Lucretia, Flora in La traviata, Sesto in W.A. Mozart's La clamenza di Tito, and Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus.
In addition to seeing company debuts with Odyssey Opera, Encompass New Opera Theatre, and Charlottesville Opera last season, Tascha Anderson was thrilled to combine her dance background to her singing career in Manuel De Falla’s masterpiece El amor brujo, as the saucy Candelas, when she debuted with Glens Falls Symphony in New York. The Glens Falls Chronicle praised her as “fiery drama” and “dusk-edged mezzo vocals.”
When she's not performing, Tascha Anderson takes pride in her nomadic off-grid (solar powered) lifestyle, often living in a camper on the road with her partner Michael Gray. She can usually be found anywhere outdoors enjoying the sun and nature, with special emphasis on a love for her beloved Rocky Mountains. |
