The American mezzo-soprano rose above the throng of young opera singers on the back of a powerful personality and a strong sense of fun. Born in Rome, Georgia into a family steeped in bluegrass music, she was influenced by church music from an early age and first sang at the age of six in a school talent show. In her teens however, she decided to rebel against rock music and the bluegrass instilled in her and turned instead to classical music.
She went on to study at Rome's Shorter University earning a BA in vocal performance and went on to gain a master's degree at Indiana University. Further training followed at Houston Grand Opera Studio before she won the Grand Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions in 2007, performing the witch's aria from Engelbert Humperdinck's 'Hansel & Gretel'. She subsequently made her Metropolitan Opera debut with a role in Mozart's 'The Magic Flute' in 2009 and went on to perform several roles with the Bavarian State Opera and Chicago Lyric Opera. In 2013 she achieved another major breakthrough winning the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition and attracted much acclaim for her full-blooded character performances, described as "one of the great Brahms interpreters of our times." She has featured on ensemble recordings with Elizabeth Futral, Atlanta Opera, Maureen McKay and Yo Yo Ma, before releasing her debut solo album 'All Who Wander' in 2016 featuring songs by Mahler, Dvorak, and Sibelius.
