Perth – Australia
Lisa Harper-Brown is a past first prize winner of the vocal section of the AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION’s YOUNG PERFORMER AWARD and a recipient of the AUSTRALIAN SINGING COMPETITION’s FAIGEN AWARD, which enabled her to study at the BRITTEN-PEARS SCHOOL.
Her first operatic engagements were for the WEST AUSTRALIAN OPERA singing The First Lady in THE MAGIC FLUTE, the title role of Handel’s ALCINA and Rosalinde in DIE FLEDERMAUS while 2021 saw her return to the company for performances including a semi-staged production of Mendelssohn’s ELIJAH, of which SEE SAW magazine said, her voice was powerful and her stage presence authoritative and for the role of The Countess in THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO, SEE SAW magazine reviewing again saying, … her regal bearing is matched by a steely voice.
She first appeared for OPERA AUSTRALIA in 1997 as the First Lady in the THE MAGIC FLUTE and as Pamina in the Melbourne season of THE MAGIC FLUTE. Subsequently her performances for the company included the role of Helena in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, THE AUSTRALIAN writing, the lustrous Lisa Harper-Brown, a goofy Joyce Grenfell-esque, Helena and Fiordiligi in COSI FAN TUTTE, of which THE HERALD SUN reviewer said, her dark edged soprano promises a thrilling future., and THE AUSTRALIAN called her, a knock-out as the febrile Fiordiligi., while the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD reviewer said she was, a delightfully sensuous Fiordiligi constantly focussed. OPERA~OPERA wrote, The secret, on this occasion, to exciting success was in the casting of Fiordiligi. She is a difficult performer to forget, tall and willowy, a committed actor … her performance satisfying in a way that is rare at the opera.. As Elsa in LOHENGRIN, in both Sydney and Melbourne, THE TELEGRAPH wrote, It was a night of superlatives. Lisa Harper-Brown made a heart stopping debut as the tragic Elsa, while the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD said, The one reason why Lohengrin is a satisfying experience overall, is that it has in the young soprano, Lisa Harper-Brown, a performer who can make us believe in the character of Elsa. Harper-Brown, willowy, eager and vulnerable might well have posed for a pre-raphaelite portrait of the character. OPERA~OPERA wrote, Winning hearts was the Elsa of Lisa Harper-Brown, a tall, beautiful and elegant soprano., and writing of her performances of The Countess in THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO, OPERA~OPERA said, …excellent. She added a depth of musical perception to those two great arias, particularly Dove sono.
Her other roles for OPERA AUSTRALIA include Elisabeth in TANNHÄUSER and Eva in DER MEISTERSINGER VON NÜRNBERG, Pamina in THE MAGIC FLUTE and Donna Anna in DON GIOVANNI, Agathe in DER FREISCHÜTZ, Belinda in DIDO & AENEAS, Rosalinde in DIE FLEDERMAUS, Echo in ARIADNE AUF NAXOS and Diana in ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD.
She has appeared as Ortlinde in the STATE OPERA OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA’s seasons of DIE WALKÜRE, and has been engaged by OPERA QUEENSLAND as Musetta in LA BOHEME and for its premiere season of THE SOPRANOS in 2022.
In New Zealand her work has included Donna Anna in DON GIOVANNI for OPERA NEW ZEALAND and the role of Elizabeth I in Donizetti’s MARIA STUARDA for DAYS BAY OPERA in Wellington.
In Europe she appeared the First Lady in THE MAGIC FLUTE for HAMBURG STATE OPERA.
Harper-Brown’s work on the concert platform includes being soloist in Gorecki’s SYMPHONY OF SORROWFUL SONGS for the UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA, Mendelssohn’s ELIJAH with opposite British baritone, Benjamin Luxon, Dvorak’s STABAT MATER for the PERTH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL Verdi’s REQUIEM with the NEW ZEALAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, Barber’s KNOXVILLE, SUMMER OF 1915 with the MELBOURNE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA and the SYDNEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA‘s SYMPHONY UNDER THE STARS in the SYDNEY FESTIVAL of which the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD said: Lisa Harper-Brown, the clarity and precision of her voice had the crispness of summer wine. Yes, thank you, some more please.
She appeared in THE RINGTONE CYCLE in a season of five performances at the MELBOURNE RECITAL CENTRE as part of the program of 2013 MELBOURNE RING FESTIVAL which ran alongside OPERA AUSTRALIA‘s production of Wagner’s DER RING DES NIBELUNGEN, the piece written for her and the SERAPHIM TRIO by Graham Koehne and which she originally premiered at the 2012 ADELAIDE FESTIVAL.
© Weaver Artist Management 2023
RECORDINGS
All enquiries to Jeff Weaver at Weaver Artist Management