Carmen
Heather Gallagher’s work has been hailed as “standout” (Lawrence A. Johnson, The Miami Herald), “vivid and convincing” (Angelo Mao, Boston Classical Review) and “great fun” (Jim Lowe, the Barre Montpelier Times). Credits include, La Tragedie de Carmen (Carmen, Seaglass Opera), Whaling Women (Ruth Post, world premiere, Seaglass Opera), the grammy-nominated recording of Haroun and the Sea of Stories (Soraya, BMOP), Les Lettres de Werther (Charlotte, Boston Opera Collaborative), Trouble in Tahiti (Dinah, Mass Opera), Patience (Lady Saphir, Odyssey Opera), and Ourland (The Policewoman, world premiere, San Jose Chamber Orchestra). Ms. Gallagher was an Emerging Artist with Boston Lyric Opera during the 2014/15 and 2015/16 seasons where she performed a number of comprimario roles, including Mercedes in director Calixto Bieitos staging of Carmen (San Francisco Opera) and the world premiere of The Nefarious, Immoral but Highly Profitable Enterprise of Mr. Burke and Mr. Hare (Margaret). As a creator and producer, she has mounted a number of successful pandemic era productions online and in person through Cultural Wasteland. CW productions include, The Heart Cannot Hold, Letters from New York: the Music of Chris DeBlasio, Britten + Auden, “Crazy B&%ch!”: Classical Music’s Difficult Women, Tom Lehrer for President: An Election Eve Cabaret and a chamber concert version of Das Lied von der Erde. Ms. Gallagher is a soloist in the all-professional ensemble at First Church Boston under the direction of Gigi Mitchell Velasco. Recently she joined the all-professional Lillith Vocal Ensemble under the direction of composer, Laura Nevitt.
Ms. Gallagher is a recipient of numerous awards. She received first place honors in Metrowest Opera (now Mass Opera) vocal competition in 2014, as well as first place in the Peter Elvin’s competition that same year. She received a full fellowship to the Atlantic Music Festival in 2012 and 2013 where she studied under dramatic mezzo-soprano Carla Rae Cook, and Anton Belov, baritone. She was a recipient of Boston Lyric Opera’s highest honor, the Shrestinian Award in 2016 for excellence during her time at BLO.
In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, crossword puzzles, biking and creating a fumetti photo-style running comic called Les Familles des Animaux.