Lyric mezzo-soprano Natasha Nelson is a classical singer, dancer, and radio host with marked enthusiasm for contemporary classical music. Natasha recently performed in the U.S. premiere of Missy Mazzoli & Royce Vavrek’s The Listeners at Opera Philadelphia and the world premiere of Rene Orth & Hannah Moscovitch’s 10 Days in a Madhouse (part of Opera Philadelphia’s Festival O23), both with the Opera Philadelphia Chorus. Additional performances of new works in recent seasons have included Angelica Negrón’s “You Are the Prelude” with the New York Philharmonic Chorus and the world-premiere recording of Aaron Zigman’s Émigré with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and New York Philharmonic Chorus (recorded by Deutsche Grammophon in Shanghai, China, in 2023), as well as the work’s U.S. premiere at David Geffen Hall in 2024.
As a soloist, Natasha has performed in Sunday at the Square presented by Opera Philadelphia and the Marian Anderson Historical Society & Museum in Philadelphia; in recital at the Dramatists Guild of America in Manhattan; at the American Musicological Society Conference in Indianapolis; and internationally in Vienna, Austria and Tuscany, Italy. Featured solo concert apprearances have also included Robert Schumann’s Spanische Liebeslieder (Alto Soloist) with renowned pianists Gilbert Kalish and Christina Dahl; a concert celebrating Leonard Bernstein’s centennial with guest speaker Nina Bernstein at the Wang Center Theater; and Rossini’s La regata veneziana at Castello Verrazzano in Italy.
Natasha’s opera credits include the creation of leading roles in two new chamber operas (Ody in Biophilia, 2020 by Samuel Beebe and Sara Costantino and the role of Woman in Healing, 2019 by Ed RosenBerg II), as well as the title role in Dido and Aeneas, Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro), Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Prince Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus), Mère Marie (Dialogues des Carmélites), Tamiri (Il re pastore), La Statue (Pygmalion), Despina (Così fan tutte), and Geraldine (A Hand of Bridge). Natasha has collaborated with composers on more than eight new works, including her performance of the dual role of Echo/Narrator in the world premiere of Wilhelmina Esary’s The Unresolved Case of Echo (2022). Esary’s work for chamber ensemble— a mystery-meets-Greek mythology tale composed for voice, clarinet, and harpsichord—fuses lyric and angular vocal lines with Vincent Price-inspired, spoken storytelling.
In addition to her work as a singer, Natasha has trained in dance for more than 16 years, and has performed at Symphony Space in Manhattan. Her studies include styles ranging from ballet and tap to Horton modern technique, jazz, and Baroque dance.
Natasha holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree. A frequent copy editor, she has edited program books published by Playbill for performances at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall, as well as concert programs featuring acclaimed orchestras and chamber ensembles such as the New York Philharmonic Quartet, among others.
Natasha’s writing has been published in Classical Singer magazine and she has twice appeared as a guest speaker at the National College Media Association conference in New York City. In addition to performance, Natasha has more than 10 years of devoted experience working for nonprofit arts organizations with focuses on music and theater performance, research, and multi-media art.
To read more about Natasha’s radio show Sound Vines on WUSB 90.1 FM, click here.
Natasha Nelson, Mezzo-Soprano 