Biography

Heather Antonissen has performed throughout the United States in a variety of mainstage productions and venues including opera, music theater, jazz standards and recital. Heather has performed with Chautauqua Opera, Opera San Jose, North Bay Opera, West Bay Opera, San Francisco Lyric Opera, Longwood Opera, Bay Shore Lyric Opera, Livermore Opera, Masterworks Chorale and the San Francisco Choral Society. Her operatic roles include Fiordiligi in Cosi fan Tutte, Giulietta in Les Contes d’Hoffman, Carmen in Carmen, Flora in La Traviata, Tisbe in Cenerentola and the Mother in both Amahl and the Night Visitors and Hansel und Gretel.

In recital and oratorio, Heather has performed as soloist in Mozart’s Requiem, Haydn’s Paukenmesse, Handel’s Messiah and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. She has performed in concert with the San Francisco Choral Society, San Francisco Performance Showcase and with Masterworks Chorale.

Her competition honors include regional finalist in the Pacific Region Met Competition, finalist in the East Bay Opera League Competition, and winner in the National Association of Teachers of Singing regional competition. She has also participated in the Chautauqua Opera Young Artist Program and the Jarvis Zarzuela Program.

A native of Anchorage, Alaska, Heather initially attended college on a basketball scholarship and went on to graduate summa cum laude from Oregon State University with a degree in voice, conducting and theater. She then received a graduate degree magna cum laude from the New England Conservatory. Currently a resident of Taos, New Mexico, Heather performs in a variety of styles including jazz, music theater and classical music.

Q&A with Heather Antonissen

Q. When did you first start singing?
A. I think I was born singing. My mom used to call me her little canary and my classmates were always asking the teacher to make me quit humming while I did my work. However, my primary interests in high school were basketball and volleyball so I didn't begin any significant musical training till I got to college.
Q. Did you always know that you would be a singer?
A. It took me awhile to figure out that's what I wanted to do with my life, but it definitely seems to be my calling here on earth.
Q. You are involved in quite a wide range of music genres. How did that come about?
A. In my junior and senior years of high school, I started writing songs but had no idea how to notate them so that musicians could read the music. I decided I would study music in college, find some band members and go out and be a rockstar. When I got to college, I ended up going to an opera as part of my degree requirements and fell in love with it. Many years later, I realized that I still had a passion for jazz, and song-writing in particular, so have brought those back into my life in conjunction with classical singing.
Q. You took a break from singing for awhile. Why was that?
A. I was in the process of really looking at every aspect of my life and seeing whether it was bringing joy or whether it was a weight. I'd been singing for a number of years by this time, avidly pursing a career as a professional singer. While I'd had moderate success, I hadn't broken through like I had wanted and hoped. I eventually came to realize that I wasn't singing out of love and joy anymore. I took some time to reevaluate, explore some other paths. Unbeknownst to me, there was still a voice inside that wanted to be expressed. It came and found me here in Taos and said, "Get busy!" So here I am singing again. Now, the process really is about love: letting the music love me and sharing that love when I sing.
Q. You do a lot of writing as well. How has that shaped your musical journey?
A. I used to say I sing for my joy and write poems for my sorrow. The artistic path is a varied and intricate road that explores a lot of complex and sometimes confusing inner territory. Writing began as a way to sort through those inner workings and as a way to explore and connect with some of the more sensitive areas. Jumbled thoughts began to unwind on the pages of my journal; scary or passionate desires wove their way into beautiful tapestries in poems. It's another form of sharing, of communicating that has a beautiful, wondrous process of its own.
Q. Do you have special rituals to help your creative process or do you just let inspiration come to you?
A. Well, I'd say my special rituals are doing anything that's creative or that promotes a relaxed state of mind. I went through The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron a couple of years ago and became aware of how any sort of creative act helps all creative acts. So I write daily, do a lot of hiking, dancing and yoga, meditate and am now getting into some cooking and baking. I also began painting for fun and play the piano when I can. Even getting out and talking with friends can be incredibly stimulating and inspiring. The "discipline" is to do something; the "creative/inspired" part determines exactly what that activity will be. It's just a matter of filling the well if you will: keep putting good stuff in and eventually good stuff will come out!
Q. Why do you sing? What is it that you hope will occur in your performances?
A. I think the primary intention when I sing is healing--whether it is in myself as the performer or in the listener. There is incredible power and transcendence in this music. Allowing that incredible beauty to flow through me will, I trust, bring about wholeness--not only within each individual but also with the great force that unites us all.