About me
Born in Tucson, Arizona, soprano Heather Knox is an emerging artist with a passion for new music and historic vocal practices. Her vibrant voice and sincere storytelling have captivated audiences in roles such as Gretel in Hansel and Gretel, Sandrina in La finta giardiniera, Ariane from Martinu’s Ariane, and Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro. She most recently made her role debut as Königen der Nacht at Queens Summer Vocal Institute in August of 2023.
During her time at Binghamton University she was part of a number of outreach programs, performing roles as Gretel in an abridged version of Hansel and Gretel and Olympia in the children’s opera Pinocchio by John Davies. One of her more notable performances, she sang dual roles as Ariane in a triptych of operas based on the myth of Ariadne of Naxos with Susquehanna University. The showcase debuted in 2018, and featured the works of Bohuslav Martinů, Darius Milhaud, and George Frideric Handel.
In 2019, Ms. Knox was a chosen soloist for the 10-year anniversary celebration of the Confucius Institute of Chinese Opera at Binghamton University. In the premiere performance of《丝之歌》(Song of Silk), a collection of songs by Shen Pengfei and Liu Kaiyan, she performed《哭晁卿衡》(Mourning Chao Heng) and《题中岳山》(On the Song Mountain), alongside tenor Cole Tornberg. The project was commissioned by CICO Binghamton in collaboration with the National Academy of Chinese Theater Arts chamber orchestra. This endeavor required extensive coaching on Chinese diction and language, as well as Chinese Opera techniques and instrumental practices, which she received from Shen Pengfei, Zu Y Chen, and Junzhi Zhu. Ms. Knox has also premiered other art song pieces, including “Nighttide” by Canaan J. Harris and “Sappho Songs” by Mirriam Nussbaum.
Ms. Knox has won several district and regional honors at the National Association for Teachers of Singing competitions. She was a finalist at the Allegheny District NATS competition in 2017 and placed first in 2015 and 2016. At the Eastern Regional NATS competitions in 2016, 2017, and 2018, she was a finalist. During her time in Binghamton, she performed an ensemble role in a number of productions with Tri-Cities Opera, including Madama Butterfly, Suor Angelica, and Bravo Broadway! “Even Stephens”. Ms. Knox graduated in May of 2020 from Binghamton University in Binghamton, NY with a degree in Vocal Performance. In 2018 she graduated from Susquehanna University in Susquehanna, PA with a degree in Vocal Performance.
Heather will be returning to Chicago Summer Opera in August of 2024 to make another role debut as Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare in Egitto, and she’s excited to tackle this master work with the amazing faculty and singers there.
