Bio Category: 2526 dido

ARYSSA LEIGH BURRS

Mezzo-soprano ARYSSA LEIGH BURRS is hailed for her “rich sound and thoughtful musical ideas” while “transcending vocal styles and genres with flexibility and ease” (DC Theater Arts). Recent and upcoming soloist engagements include, Nerone (Poppea, InSeries Opera), Bach’s St. John Passion (Clarion Music Society, The Thirteen), Messiah (The Thirteen), Minerva (Return of Ulysses, InSeries Opera), Wassail! (Apollo’s Fire), BWV 7 (Bach Choir of Bethlehem), and in May 2025, Copland’s In The Beginning (Cathedral Choral Society). Aryssa performs with ensembles such as The Crossing, The Thirteen, Clarion Music Society, and Ensemble Altera. Aryssa’s comfort in various styles is best heard as a founding member of Lyyra, the internationally touring, 6-voiced women’s ensemble from the Voces8 Foundation, which was recently signed to Warner Classics. Lyyra is making strides in the vocal world by promoting women’s voices while performing a wide range of genres for diverse audiences.

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EDWARD VOGEL

With a voice described as “velvet-toned” (BBC Music Magazine), and praised for his “appealing, midweight baritone” (The New York Times), “forthright agility and bold declamation” (Musical America), baritone EDWARD VOGEL is recognized as a sensitive, versatile performer. Recent highlights include solo appearances with the New York Philharmonic, Apollo’s Fire, the Tucson Symphony, and ensemble work with Theatre of Voices, the Bach Collegium Japan, and the Yale Schola Cantorum, with whom he has participated as a soloist in recordings on the Hyperion label. In 2024, he received a GRAMMY® nomination for his work as a soloist on Apollo’s Fire’s recording of Handel’s Israel in Egypt. An avid recitalist, Mr. Vogel’s specialties include British art song of the twentieth century, music from Medieval and Renaissance Iberia, and works by Gustav Mahler; his intimate interpretations of art song have been heard onstage at celebrated venues including the Tanglewood Festival and Wigmore Hall.

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ANDRÉA WALKER

A native of Texas, soprano ANDRÉA WALKER is pursuing her Doctorate in historical performance practice at Case Western Reserve University. She recently graduated with her Master’s in vocal performance from the Yale Institute of Sacred Music where she studied early music, oratorio, and art song. Before her time at Yale, Ms. Walker received her Bachelor’s from the University of Houston. Her recent performance highlights include her Lincoln Center debut in Telemann’s Der Tag des Gerichts with Masaaki Suzuki and Juilliard415, touring throughout Germany as a soloist in Haydn’s Schöpfungsmesse with Yale Schola Cantorum, performing the role of Venus is Daniel Purcell’s The Judgment of Paris with Amherst Early Music Festival, and being a guest artist at the Norfolk Chamber Choir Festival under the direction of Simon Carrington. As a new resident of Cleveland, she is thrilled to make both her Apollo’s Fire and CityMusic Cleveland solo debuts this 2023 season.

“The U.S.A.’s hottest baroque band.” –CLASSICAL MUSIC MAGAZINE (UK)