Heather Hjelle, Soprano

This Ortrud is ready for spooky season. Are you?

I also realized that YouTube will not fix the title, but when you click the link it is spelled correctly. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Enweihte gotter, Wagner, Lohengrin Heather Hjelle, Dramatic SopranoEric McEnaney, piano

And we are off to Chicago to do some saaaangin’!

Last night was full of Ortrud and my Valkyrie sisters ❤️‍🔥 ! Huge thank you to John Parr, Luana DeVol, Dolora Zajick, and my fellow AWPers. Stay tuned for videos!

Been having so much fun out here in the Wild West🏔️ ! I had the privilege to sing in a masterclass for John Parr from Deutsche Oper Berlin. is such an amazing Elsa to my Ortrud 💕.

Uh oh! They took the diva outta the country and put her in the mountains ⛰️! Very happy to be back in Reno working with the American Wagner Project.

Guess what? I just signed a contract to be the teaching specialist of voice at University of Minnesota Morris. Excited to share my continued performance experiences with these students!

Just a soprano doing werk. 🎶🚜

Last week I got to share my love of opera with the community of Silver Bay, Minnesota—through a project I created! 🫨

Before flying to D. C. I was pulling antique tractors out of sheds and cleaning them. 🚜

Today, we just finished our last rehearsal of beautiful music from Wagner’s “Lohengrin”.

Tomorrow, I get the opportunity to perform a huge chunk of the role of Ortrud for the Wagner Society of Washington D. C. Thank you to all my friends, family, community, and musician colleagues for your love and support. What a wild ride this life is! 💃🏼

So proud of this project and all my friends that have come to be a part of it. 💕

We are getting closer!! I leave for the beautiful North Shore this Monday. Hopefully I won’t need my winter coat by then 😜.

Won the show stopper award with my Monster for our performance of Deep Love from “Young Frankenstein”. ❤️🥰

We are getting so close and I am very excited! If you’re in the Silver Bay/Duluth area come check this out!

Happy to be performing with friends, yet again! 🎶

This project that Heather Hjelle, Soprano
dreamed up in 2020 has grown into such a special concert series!

Thanks to the Northern Lake County Arts Board, We are looking forward to bringing it to the North Shore of Lake Superior next month! We have an exciting program planned for the community as well an engaging residency prepared with the schools in Silver Bay, MN.

If you’re within traveling distance of this beautiful place, we invite you to come to a fun (seriously!), interactive, and accessible night of opera!

You can take the Diva outta the country, but you can’t take the country outta the Diva. 🌾 🚜

Pleased to be recognized amongst other great performers, both in 2022 and 2021, by an awesome organization. 🤗

2022 Singers Awards The annual auditions for singers who are promising in the Wagner repertoire were organized by Scott Carlton, Artistic Director of Singer Programs, and were held on November 18, 2022. The panel of judges consisted of Mr. Carlton, Ken Benson, Carle Farley, and Eve Queler. We are pleased to recognize t...

Happy February! 💝💞💝

This spring The Every Person’s Guide to Opera is taking on the Silver Bay area! While there, we will perform a concert for that community and we will be teaching grades 6-12 during their regular music class hour about opera. I’m very excited to work with these students! 🎶

Shortly after, I will be flying to D.C. to perform selections from “Lohengrin” as Ortrud - as well as a few favorite arias- for the Wagner Society there! I’m super grateful for the opportunity to take a bite out of this major role! 🥳

After my whirlwind trip New York I’m pleased to share I’ve received another Encouragement Grant from the Wagner Society there! 🎶

I’m back in the big 🍎 to sing for the Wagner Society of New York. 💫

Happy World Opera Day from this red headed Diva. 🎶 💃🏼 Here are some flashbacks to celebrate.

I’m so PUMPED to be singing the role of Elizabeth Benning in Mel Brooks’, “Young Frankenstein” the last two weekends in October. It’s based on his cult classic movie. Here’s a clip to refresh your memory. It features one of my favorite hymns 😉.

🎟: https://ci.ovationtix.com/34710

Young Frankenstein

You’re looking at one of the newest board members of the Lake Region Arts Council! Things I’m excited about:
🌟 Impacting my community through art!
🌟 Connecting with and helping other artists!
🌟 Improving my grant writing skills! Send your grant questions my way!

That’s a wrap on EPGTO year 2! Thanks to the Lake Region Arts Council, my community, and all of the musicians

It’s happening! We open tomorrow! Hope to see you there!

I'm finally back in Minnesota and eagerly preparing for my fellow musicians to arrive! This year we welcome Carson, Myka, Brian, and welcome back Janese!

Pre-show tickets:
http://prairiewindplayers.vbotickets.com/event/the_every_persons_guide_to_opera/75348

Facebook event:
https://fb.me/e/5wkCR34fm

My time in Reno was full of beautiful music, people, and mountains 🏔. Huge thanks to and

What an honor to sing with such amazing people! IYDV concert 2022 💖.

What a kind review! 💖🤩 I am excited to share what I’m cultivating at the American Wagner Project!

“Hjelle's most potent vocal asset is direct projection, the voice climaxing most excitingly towards the high B-natural of Margherita's mad scene. As she is actively pursuing further cultivation as a Wagnerian, one is curious to hear her gifts in that branch of repertoire.”

YEASS IV. American Appassionata: Renata Tebaldi @ 100 OFC 2022.VII.15 La Renatona's Chicago midsummer centenary, fêted by the voices of Lillie, Hjelle, Pomponi, Azzarra

About last week…I had such a lovely experience celebrating Tebaldi’s 100th birthday by performing with .lillie

Next up: catch my Reno adventures with the

Last night was so fun! 🤩

Super excited for this music!

The Opera Festival of Chicago is pleased to welcome soprano Heather Hjelle in Renata Tebaldi @100 on July 15.

Heather Hjelle is the most recent recipient of the Encouragement Grant from the Wagner Society of New York. Shortly after the award she performed Dich Teure Halle with the Kenwood Symphony. Previously, her professional debut was made with the role of Santuzza in Main Street Opera’s production of Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana. In 2019, she starred in the title role of La Gioconda with Opera MODO.

This summer, Hjelle will be a in residence with The American Wagner Project in Reno, Nevada. Shortly thereafter, she will return to her hometown of Barrett, MN to perform in “The Every Person’s Guide to Opera”. This is a concert series designed to introduce opera to areas that might not have access this style of art. Ms. Hjelle has been awarded a grant by the LRAC to produce this series.

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Had a blast singing a little Lady Macbeth today and scooping up 3rd place while I was at it! 💖

Very excited to share this music!

https://thetimesweekly.com/opera-festival-of-chicago-2022-season/

I have more exciting news! I’ve been awarded a second grant from the Lake Regions Arts Council! The career development grant will help me with travel expenses for my upcoming summer gigs. A huge thank you to the LRAC for this grant!

My name is in OperaWire! Super honored to be along side these stellar musicians! ☺️

Katherine Beck, Kenneth Tarver, Jose Simerilla Romero, Franco Pomponi Headline Opera Festival of Chicago's 2022 Season - Opera Wire The Opera Festival of Chicago has unveiled its 2022 season. This edition will feature two fully-staged productions as well as a celebration of a legendary opera star. “Following the resounding success of our inaugural season last summer, we’re thrilled to return to Chicago-area stages for an exc...

Well, here’s some exciting news!! I will be singing on Opera festival Of Chicago’s Tebaldi concert!

“We also pay tribute to the legendary Italian soprano Renata Tebaldi, honoring the 100th anniversary of her birth with a recital featuring many of the famous arias she premiered in Chicago in the mid-20th century.

On Friday, July 15, 2022 at 7:30 p.m., the Festival will present “Tebaldi@100” at Ganz Hall located on the campus of Roosevelt University at 430 S. Michigan Avenue. For one night only, sopranos Heather Hjelle and Angel Azzarra, tenor Reuben Lillie, baritone Franco Pomponi, and pianist Douglas Han will present this moving tribute to one of opera’s greatest singers. Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of the Italian soprano, this program, hosted by opera guru Roger Pines, features a fascinating behind-the-scenes look into the life of Renata Tebaldi. Musical selections include works by Verdi, Puccini, Cilea, and Giordano, representing the many roles Tebaldi debuted in Chicago in the mid-20th century. Following the performance, all attendees are invited to a meet-the-artists reception.”

I’ve been a bit quiet for a while, and not without good reason- doing the work! I’m happy to say that opera contracts are starting come back and I can’t wait to share that news with y’all…BUT I had the wonderful opportunity to do some musical theatre and gosh darn it, it was so FUN! My original thought was to use this experience to get my feet back onstage before my summer opera contracts started, but it was so much more than that. I have found a new family and a community I hope to call home for a long time 💖🥂.

Ever wonder how my grandpa listening to polka music led me to singing opera? Me too. Check out my second feature on PBS to hear me talk about how music shaped my life.

I also got to answer school children’s questions about opera. I hope you enjoy my “on the fly” answers! These kids are smart!

https://youtu.be/SJdJUHlClhc

Heather Hjelle: Insight To Opera Dramatic soprano Heather Hjelle from Barrett, MN discusses her personal journey to becoming a professional opera singer. She also answers questions from stud...