Soprano Flora Hawk has been hailed as “vocal standout” by Opera News and lauded for her “richly balanced” voice by Opera Wire. Engagements for last season included Musetta in La bohème with Nashville Opera and Pensacola Opera, Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro with Knoxville Opera, Dayo in Cook Shack with Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and a company début as Ninette in The Love for Three Oranges with Des Moines Metro Opera. She kicks off a busy current season as the soprano soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with the Rapides Symphony, then makes her role and company début as Johanna in Sweeney Todd with Dayton Opera, makes her Portland Opera début as Peter in Snowy Day, and returns to Knoxville Opera in the title role of Viardot’s Cendrillon.
Recently, Ms. Hawk was featured as Peter in the world premiere of Houston Grand Opera’s The Snowy Day, Amelia in the world premiere of Quamino’s Map with Chicago Opera Theater, and Poppea in Agrippina with Florida Grand Opera. She returned to Kentucky Opera as Euridice in Orfeo and performed excerpts of The Snowy Day in concert with New Haven Symphony Orchestra.
She completed her residency with Kentucky Opera’s Barbara and Halsey Sandford Studio Artist Program where she was originally scheduled to perform Musetta in La bohème, Sandman in Hansel and Gretel, and Euridice in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, but due to Covid-19 she instead appeared in multiple innovative productions with the company. Additionally, she performed Josephine in H.M.S Pinafore with Pensacola Opera, Sally in the premiere of Stone Soup with Fort Worth Opera, and leading role of Sara in the premiere of We Wear the Sea Like a Coat with Opera Ithaca. She was a returning artist with Shreveport Opera for the where she sang Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro and Antonia in Man of La Mancha. She was engaged as a returning artist with Opera Saratoga for their 2020 summer season where she would have performed Winnie in Sky on Swings and Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, but due to Covid-19, these productions were to be scheduled for a later date.
Flora enthusiastically accepted her first engagements with Shreveport Opera where she performed Maria in West Side Story and Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly. Additionally, she was invited to perform at the Fort Worth Opera Gala and sang Mother in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel with Opera Saratoga.
Flora received her Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Houston where she performed Sarah Good in The Crucible, Carolina in Il matrimonio segreto, Princess Ninetta in The Love for Three Oranges, and Elvira in L’italiana in Algeri in addition to premiering the leading role of Lady Teazle in Nelson and Ross’s The School for Scandal. She also performed Corilla in Viva La Mama with Houston’s Lone Star Lyric Opera. She received her Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Stephen F. Austin State University.
Flora was a District Winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Competition, received top prize in the Mary Jacobs Smith Singer of the Year Competition, the Amore! Opera Lovers of East Texas Award for Outstanding Opera Performance, and was a finalist in the National Competition for Classical Singers. Learn more at florahawksoprano.com.