AMANI COLE-FELDER
SOPRANO
BIOGRAPHY
Soprano Amani Cole-Felder is a 2023 graduate of The Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. During her tenure with the Lindemann program, Amani’s scene performances and role studies included Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus, Liù in Turandot, Sister Rose in Dead Man Walking, Mary in Highway 1, U.S.A., Juliette in Roméo et Juliette, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, and Musetta in La bohème. Amani made her Metropolitan Opera début in 2021 as the Strawberry Woman in Porgy and Bess and subsequently returned as Woman of Crete in Idomeneo.
Last season, Amani performed as Persephone in Cincinnati Opera’s workshop of Lalovavi. She performed as a soloist in The Ordering of Moses with New Haven Symphony, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and Price’s Song of Hope with Grand Junction Symphony, and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with Maryland Symphony Orchestra. She also made her Carnegie Hall début with MidAmerica Productions, singing as the soprano soloist for Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Fauré’s Requiem. Amani recently made her début with Fargo-Moorhead Opera as Liù in Turandot and performed in concert with Salt Marsh Opera.
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As an OTSL Gaddes Festival Artist, she made her Opera Theatre of Saint Louis début as Lucy/Lovie Alexander in the Damien Sneed reimagined version of Joplin’s Treemonisha. In addition, she covered the title role in Susannah and performed in the Center Stage Gala Concert with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. Amani performed the role of Pamina in Die Zauberflöte with the Aspen Opera Theater as an inaugural Renée Fleming Artist Fellow, under the direction of Patrick Summers, and subsequently returned to Aspen as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni under the direction of Dame Jane Glover.
Other recent performances include Angelica/Fiordiligi in the North American premiere of Roberto Scarcella Perino’s Furiosus with New York University’s Casa Italiana under the direction of Robert Tweten. She also performed in the City Parks Foundation’s MET SummerStage recital series, was a soloist in Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Theresienmesse, and Mozart’s Sparrow Mass with the New Choral Society, as well as the Brahms Requiem and Williams’ Serenade to Music with the Capital Singers of Trenton.
While completing her graduate studies at the New England Conservatory of Music, Amani performed the title role in Suor Angelica, First Lady in Die Zauberflöte, and in scenes from La bohème, Florencia en el Amazonas, and Les contes d’Hoffmann. Previous roles include Giulietta in I Capuleti e i Montecchi and Countess in Le nozze di Figaro.
Amani was awarded a career grant from the 2023 Pasadena Vocal Competition, and she placed second in the 2022 Annapolis Opera Vocal Competition. In 2020, she was a finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions Eastern Regional, a semi-finalist in the Houston Grand Opera Eleanor McCollum Competition, as well as an encouragement award recipient in the Giulio Gari Competition.
Ms. Cole-Felder holds a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Westminster Choir College and a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music.
Current as of September 1, 2025
CRITICAL ACCLAIM
"...sang to fine effect..." - Opera Today
Treemonisha – “Amani Cole-Felder’s pleasantly dusky soprano served the dual roles of Lovie Alexander and Lucy equally well, conveying sisterly loving concern for Freddie as the former, and later serving as the agitated messenger when her friend Treemonisha is kidnapped in the central tale. Ms. Cole-Felder also sang to fine effect, memorably partnering Ms. Sutton in the duet sections of A Real Slow Drag”
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"...impressive..." - Opera News
Idomeneo – “Lindemann Young Artists Amani Cole-Felder and Cierra Byrd were impressive in their duets as two Cretan women.”
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"...lovely..." - The Aspen Times
Don Giovanni – “As Donna Anna, Giovanni’s first target in the opera, soprano Amani Cole-Felder created a strong bond in her one-on-one scenes with tenor Manasa Latu as Don Ottavio, her intended. Her Act 2 aria, “Non mi dir,” was lovely.”