Kristin Lewis, Soprano, a lyrico-spinto soprano lauded for her interpretations of Verdi heroines, is a native of Little Rock, Arkansas/USA. Ms. Lewis began her vocal studies at the University of Central Arkansas under the guidance of Dr. Martha Antolik. After receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree, she continued with her Master of Music studies at the University of Tennessee with Ms. Kay Paschal and Mr. Andrew Wentzel. Her postgraduate instruction was led by Dr. Jonathan Retzlaff until her move to Vienna, Austria, where she currently resides. She is now under the tutelage of Ms. Carol Byers.
A recipient of many honors, Ms. Lewis was awarded the Orazio Tosi Prize 2012, given by the Club Lirica Parma, at the birthplace of Giuseppe Verdi. Ms. Lewis was named the 2010 recipient of the Artist of the Year Award by the Savonlinna Opera Festival. In addition, she was voted a 2010 recipient of the coveted "Oscars of the Opera" by the Foundation of Verona for the Arena. She is a two-time National Finalist of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Competition. She has also been a finalist of the "XLVI Concours International de Chant de la Ville de Toulouse", a winner of the "Internationalen Gesangswettbewerb Ferruccio Tagliavini" and a winner of the "Concorso Internazionale Di Musica Gian Battista Viotti". Ms. Lewis also won the Opera Prize and the Audience Award in the "Concorso Internationale di Canto Debutto A Merano". Among her other achievements, Ms. Lewis is very active in humanitarian work. She was recently named an Ambassador for the Red Cross in Vienna, Austria. She is a supporter of Animal Care Austria, an animal rescue agency based in Vienna, Austria.
The 2014-15 season will be highlighted by Ms. Lewis' return to Teatro alla Scala, in Milian, Italy, to sing the title role of Verdi's Aida, with Maestro Zubin Mehta conducting. She will also be led by Maestro Mehta at Bunka Kaikan Hall in Tokyo, Japan, in presenting Beethoven's 9th Symphony. Other highlights will include her return to Teatro La Fenice, in Venice, Italy, to sing the role "Leonora" in Verdi's Il Trovatore, her debut at Guangzhou Opera, in China, singing the title role in Verdi's Aida, as well as her debut of "Lucrezia" in Verdi's I Due Foscari at Teatro Municipale in Piacenza, Italy.
During the 2013-14 season, Ms. Lewis participated in the bicentennial celebration of Giuseppe Verdi. She sang the title role of Aida at the Vienna State Opera, the Staatsoper im Schiller Theatre Berlin, l'Opéra Royal de Wallonie, as well as Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Italy. Other anticipated performances were the roles of "Leonora" in Verdi's Il Trovatore at Teatro alla Scala, "Mimi" in Puccini's La Boheme with Teatro La Fenice , and "Nedda" in Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci at the Royal Danish Theatre and Teatro Regio in Parma, Italy.
Ms. Lewis' other highly acclaimed Verdi roles are "Elisabetta" in Don Carlo, "Medora" in Il Corsaro, and "Amelia" in Un Ballo in Maschera. Equally comfortable with multiple composers, she has also been featured as Puccini's "Liu" in Turandot, Mozart's "Donna Anna" in Don Giovanni, Jake Heggie's "Sister Rose" in Dead Man Walking, and "Maddalena" in Giordano's Andrea Chénier.
Ms. Lewis has performed in such prestigious houses as the Vienna Staatsoper, Teatro alla Scala, the l'Opéra de Paris, Berlin State Opera, the Arena di Verona, Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Opera Orchestra New York in Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, the Bayerische Staatsoper, the Mariinsky Theatre, Chorégies d'Orange, the Royal Danish Theatre, Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Puccini Opera Festival in Torre del Lago, the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden, Teatro Regio di Parma, l'Opera de Nice, Teatro San Carlo in Naples, Italy, the Savonlinna Opera Festival, Opéra National de Lyon, Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Italy, in addition to appearing on the far eastern stages of Tokyo, Japan. She has been directed by many illustrious conductors, including Nicola Luisotti, Alain Altinoglu, Gianandrea Noseda, Riccardo Muti, Bruno Bartoletti, Philippe Jordan, Dan Ettinger, Zubin Mehta, Donald Runnicles, Donato Renzetti, Daniel Oren, Daniele Gatti, Daniele Callegari, Alberto Veronesi, Omer Wellber and Philippe Auguin.
