ALISSA ANDERSON
CONTRALTO
BIOGRAPHY
Contralto Alissa Anderson wields her comic prowess, striking features, and powerful vocalism to great acclaim on opera and concert stages worldwide. Ms. Anderson achieved a considerable success and was celebrated for being “impeccably prepared” and “splendid in every way” when she stepped in as Florence Pike in Santa Fe Opera’s Albert Herring under the baton of Sir Andrew Davis. In 2020, Ms. Anderson made a lauded début as Mrs. Lovett at Royal Danish Opera. Opera News raved, “…it was left to an American Mrs. Lovett, Alissa Anderson, to show the natives how it should be done… Anderson was the best of all of them. She has a true contralto voice… her comic timing was exemplary.”
Most recently Ms. Anderson made her Virginia Opera début as Erda in Siegfried, returned to Opera Company of Middlebury for a hilarious turn in her role début of the Marquise of Berkenfield in La fille du Régiment, and joined Highland Park Presbyterian as a soloist in Dvorak’s Stabat Mater. Additional recent highlights include her début at Hawaii Opera Theatre as Mrs. Medlock in The Secret Garden and her role and company début at Nashville Opera as Baba in The Medium. She also débuted at Chicago Opera Theatre as the Deaconess in Krol Roger and as Florence Pike in Albert Herring and with Pacific Symphony as Maddalena in Rigoletto. In her busy 2024-2025 season, she returns to Opera Philadelphia for a role début as Mrs. Moreno in Mazzoli/Vavrek's The Listeners, makes both company and role débuts with The South Florida Symphony as the Old Lady in Candide, and débuts with the Alabama Symphony in Debussy's La Damoiselle élue. She will also originate the role of Lola Allen Loving in the world premiere of Damien Geter and Jessica Murphy Moo's Loving v. Virginia in the spring of 2025.
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CRITICAL ACCLAIM
"... in the scene-stealing role of Mistress Quickly, did just that…” – BachTrack
Falstaff – “Mezzo Alissa Anderson, in the scene-stealing role of Mistress Quickly, did just that, her chest voice offering a passive-aggressive "Reverenza!" to Falstaff that he fell for completely. She was also capable of lightening her tone for ensembles. Her Mrs. Lovett must also be a delight and she is slated to sing her first Erda soon.”
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"... Anderson was the best of all of them..." – Opera News
Sweeney Todd – “. . . it was left to an American Mrs Lovett, Alissa Anderson, to show the natives how it should be done. . . Anderson was the best of all of them. She has a true contralto voice that had no problems handling Mrs Lovett’s sprawling range and mixture of lyricism and patter. Her comic timing was exemplary and her character’s central shift from downtrodden pessimism to opportunistic enterprise was captured well. We felt the pathos of her situation in a compellingly sung “By the Sea” and in the layered sophistication of “Nothing’s Going to Harm You,” one of the score’s most touching songs.”
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"... Anderson’s generous, throbbing mezzo..." – Opera Today
The Love for Three Oranges – “As the plotting duo Princess Clarissa and Leander, Allissa Anderson and Zachary Altman oozed mellifluous malintent. Ms. Anderson’s generous, throbbing mezzo made the most of her every utterance.”
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"... Anderson breathed life into Carmen..." – Broadway World
Tragedy of Carmen – “… The smoldering Alissa Anderson breathed life into Carmen, a gypsy "hostess" giving her unquenchable affection for the right price. Anderson provided a bellowing voice with sensuality. Her skilled seductions lead to danger when a soldier becomes lost in Carmen's raw attraction.”
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"... an extraordinarily enjoyable Marcellina..." – Voix des Arts
Le nozze di Figaro – “Contralto Alissa Anderson was the rare Marcellina who was in no danger of retiring—or who sounded as though she should retire—before the end of the performance. In the hilarious Act One duet with Susanna, Anderson sang ‘Via, resti servita, madama brillante’ splendidly, the voice firm, focused, and filling the theatre with golden sound. Later, her entry with Bartolo and Basilio into the raucous ensemble of the Act Two finale had the force of a sudden tempest, her voicing of ‘Voi Signor! che giusto siete’ bursting forth like a thunderclap. Not even on the most acclaimed recordings of Le nozze di Figaro is Marcellina’s ‘Riconosci in questo amplesso una madre, amato figlio’ in the Act Three sextet sung as well as Anderson sang it …Even without the aria, Anderson was an extraordinarily enjoyable Marcellina, one who truly sang the role.”
REPRESENTATIVES
Vice President | Classical & Creatives
Agent | Classical & Concert
Operations & Finance Manager