about

ihr habt nun traurigkeit | brahms

by Elizabeth van Os | Felix Jarrar, Piano

kitten corner

I share two cats with my beautiful and very smart wife, and they’ve both got opera themed names. 

Stella

Named for the Joyce DiDonato “Stella di Napoli” album, Stella was a sad street rescue who was saved from the brink of death by a lovely woman named Carol. Stella is not very bright, but she has a lot of love, and her favorite activity is asking for affirmation when she finds her toys in the house. 

Adalgisa “Gigi” the Cat

This little mafia boss’s name is a Norma reference, and she lives up to the intensity and passion of the opera. Shes’s a cuddle queen, and hasn’t known a moment of sadness in her whole life. She loves to live in the sky, and will clock in for snuggles when we’re having a hard day. 

favorite opera

Top three, in no particular order

Wozzeck

Harrowing? Yes. But I like my theater to live at the extremes. Plus, I fell deeply in love with Alban Berg in my undergrad, when Kristine Ciesinski gave me the Sieben Frühe Lieder, and there was no going back from there. This opera really sparked my interest in everything post 1900, and set me on an artistic path that I wouldn’t trade for anything

Tosca

This is the one I watch most often – I’m very drawn to deep religious conflict, a healthy dose of political intrigue, and seeing villains get their comeuppance without having to rely on a happy ending. In my opinion, it’s one of Puccini’s strongest works, and I’m never going to get tired of it.

Così fan tutte

Fiordiligi was one of my very first roles, and I’m going to treasure this piece forever. It’s got a reputation for being problematic, but I’ve always found it to be a deeply nuanced look at complicated people who can’t quite figure out how to treat each other well. I really love operas where I can dig into character relationships, and this one is so rich with opportunities for connection and play. 

straight tone?

One of the best things I ever learned was when my teacher sat me down and told me that I needed to be flexible to survive. She explained that my voice was a tool with infinite facets – I just needed to learn how to use it. Over the course of my career, I’ve honed a technique that I can use in any setting. 

Being an artist is about choosing the right sound for the room, the composer, the orchestra, the ensemble, and the emotion that you’re trying to convey. My years in small ensembles, early music, church music, and opera have taught me that I can do anything I want when I listen to my body, my training, and the music itself.

Known for her dynamic stage presence, flexible technique and impressive vocal range, Elizabeth van Os hails originally from the Mountain West. She moved to New York City in 2012 and has been an active part of the music scene since then. Opera credits include Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi), Second Lady (Die Zauberflöte), Fiordiligi (Così fan Tutte), Mimi (La Bohème) and Marguerite (Faust). She has been a member of the Bard Opera Chorus since 2015, performing in a variety of productions, including Ethel Smyth’s Wreckers, Mascagni’s Iris, Dvorak’s Dimitrij, Rubenstein’s Demon, Chausson’s Le Rois Arthus (as a featured soloist), and Richard Strauss’ Die Schweigsame Frau. In 2019, she covered the title role in Martinu’s Juliette in a concert performance with the American Symphony Orchestra. In the 2024-2025 season, she will make her house debut at Detroit Opera, singing the Mother in Missy Mazzoli’s Breaking the Waves.

As a concert soloist, Elizabeth has appeared with the Collegiate Chorale in Song of Norway, Battle Hymns, and Chichester Psalms. She has also appeared with The Ars Musica Chorale of New Jersey as a soloist in Carmina Burana, Verdi’s Requiem, and Hariu L’Adonai: Jewish Composers Through the Centuries. She premiered Matthew Brown’s The Beautiful America with the Astoria Choir, and has appeared as a featured soloist with The Berkshire Bach Society, The Saint George Choral Society, and Artek Early Music Ensemble. In 2022, she performed as a featured soloist on the Trinity Wall Street staged production of Considering Matthew Shepard. Other highlights include Ligeti’s Mysteries of the Macabre with Joseph Yungen.

Elizabeth is also an active concert chorister and has appeared with Musica Sacra, The New York Virtuoso Singers, The Master Voices, The Saint George Choral Society, the New York Philharmonic Chorus, and the Bard Festival Chorale. She frequently works with emerging conductors as a member of the Conductors Chorus under the direction of James Bagwell. Additionaly, her work in in small ensemble singing includes The Salvatones from 2015-2017, under the direction of Daniel Brondel, and The Western Wind from 2020-2022, under the direction of William Zukof. In 2022, she appeared on Saturday Night Live with the Buck McDaniel Singers, singing backup for Sam Smith.

Elizabeth’s passion for music extends beyond performance. In 2015, she and longtime collaborator Caroline Miller founded The Pleiades Project, a project centered around the stories of women composers, creatives, and performers. From 2015-2023, they created short form video content and concert experiences. Some highlights of her work include Pleiades | 24, a reimagining of the 24 Italian Songs and Arias, German Romantics, a three part video series made in collaboration with INSeries centered around Clara Schumann, Fanny Mendelssohn, and Louise Reichardt. Additionally, The Pleiades Project created live performance experiences, including Café 1907, World of Miyabi, Come Down Angels, and an original work A Woman’s Suffrage Splendiferous Extravaganza! by Noelle McMurtry, Caroline Miller, and November Christine, with music by Lacy Rose and November Christine.

As a multi-passionate creative, Elizabeth’s work as a video editor, graphic designer, and photographer is essential to her creative process. Video work includes I Take The Long Way There: A Capstone Project, A Small Handful, with Danielle Buonaiuto, Mizzi: Hope I Mvmt II, with Lacy Rose and Coco Karol. In 2020, she co-wrote and directed an educational video series for Opera Saratoga, and wrote, directed, and produced 5 original music education video series for The Metropolitan Opera Guild. Her photography portfolio can be viewed here. Her photo work is people centered, and her work focuses on bringing her subject’s true personality to the front. Some photography highlights include work featured in the Brooklyn Eagle, the Bronx Times, 406 Woman, Ciin3, Chamber Music America, Chamber Music Magazine, Brooklyn Arts Council, and Ridgewood News. Brand and website design work includes Caroline Miller, Noelle McMurtry, November Christine, and Elizabeth van Os. Other graphic design highlights include ebook design and typesetting for The Vibrant Board.

Elizabeth is also a committed educator, and believes in passing musical knowledge to future generations. From 2012-2016, Elizabeth was a lead teacher and trainer with Hands On A Musical Experience. She specialized in group music classes for children 4months-4years old, with a specific focus on hand-eye coordination, introducing fundamental music sound and vocabulary, and building parent/caregiver connections with their children through music. From 2016-2022, she was a Master Teacher with the Metropolitan Opera Guild where she working primarily in elementary grades, writing and implementing original opera based curriculums. Residency Highlights include conducting a youth ensemble at the 83rd Annual Metropolitan Opera Guild Luncheon, creating an original curriculum for the inaugural Opera Explorers Program, and working as one of the first Teaching Artists on Pre-K residencies. Elizabeth has also worked as Chorus Administrator, Assistant Conductor, and Pianist for the New Jersey State Children’s Chorus. In 2022, she joined the music staff of Saint Ignatius Loyola NYC as Director of Children’s Choirs where she heads three choirs with ages ranging from K-8th grade.

Elizabeth attended Brigham Young University Idaho where she received a Bachelor of Musical Arts (BMA) in 2010. She received her Master of Music in Vocal Performance (MM) from Eastman School of Music in 2012.

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