American soprano Chelsea Lehnea is known for her powerful artistry, fearless personality, and unique sense of style. Haus of shmizzay lauds her as “A voice that defies industrial conventions of fach” and the San Francisco Chronicle describes her singing as “an excellent combination of tenderness and vocal power.”

 

She is an award winning singer who took First Place at the Loren L. Zachary Vocal Competition 2022, Premiere Opera Foundation Live Vocal Competition 2022, Opera at Florham Vocal Competition 2022, and the Camille Coloratura Awards 2019 Vocal Competition. She is a winner of the 2022 Sullivan Foundation Awards and was a quarterfinalist for OPERALIA 2021. In the 2021-2022 season, she made her Pacific Opera Project debut as Clorinda in La Cenerentola, joined the Northside Methodist Church of Atlanta as the soprano soloist for Handel's Messiah and Mendelssohn’s Hymn of Praise, and performed the role of Pamina in Die Zauberflöte with the Merola Opera Program 2022 to great acclaim. In the 2019-2020 season, she returned to Bel Cantanti Opera with a role debut as Gilda in Rigoletto and made a house debut as Musetta in La bohème with Gulfshore Opera. 

 

A 2016 alumna of the Santa Fe Opera's Apprentice Singer Program, Ms. Lehnea made her Washington National Opera debut as Sister Catherine in Francesca Zambello's 2017 production of Dead Man Walking. In the 2017-2018 season, she joined the roster of Sarasota Opera to both perform Frasquita in Carmen and cover Adalgisa in Norma. She made her New York debut with her initial exploration of the title role of Lucia di Lammermoor, performing excerpts from the opera under the aegis of the Metropolitan Opera Guild. In the 2018-2019 season, she made company debuts with St. Petersburg Opera (Florida) as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, the Virginia Consort as the soprano soloist for Der Messias, and Bel Cantanti Opera (Washington DC) as Euridice in Orfeo ed Euridice. She is a 2019 alumna of the Merola Opera Program where she performed Woman at the Bar in the world premiere of If I Were You and excerpts as the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor and as Elisabetta in Maria Stuarda.

 

Ms. Lehnea has also appeared in concert as the soprano soloist for the Mozart Requiem, Handel's Messiah, Haydn's Missa Brevis in F, the Fauré Requiem, and the Bach Ascension Oratorio BWV 11. She made her international debut in 2012 with the touring chorus Advent Now on their tour of Japan. A highlight of her undergraduate years was being a soloist for the Lee University Festival Choir as they performed for the 57th Presidential Inauguration.

 

She previously studied with Soprano Carmen Balthrop and currently studies with Doug Han and Haus of shmizzay. A native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, she maintains an active online teaching schedule of voice and piano lessons through Blue Feather Music.

 

When not in rehearsals, she enjoys existing in nature, experimenting with vegan culinary arts, and cuddling her cat, Shiley.