About this Artist
KRISTIN LEWIS, a lyrico-spinto soprano, has graced the stages of many of the world’s leading opera houses. Noted for her well-focused, majestic sound, rich in overtones and rare blend of piano culture, she has been directed by and among the most illustrious conductors.
A native of Little Rock, Arkansas, Lewis grew up in a musical family, and began singing and performing at an early age. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Central Arkansas under the guidance of Dr. Martha Antolik and a Master of Music degree while studying with Kay Paschal and Andrew Wentzel from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.
A recipient of many honors, Lewis was awarded the College of Arts and Sciences Divisional Achievement Award for the Visual and Performing Arts from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 2015; the Orazio Tosi Prize 2012, given by the Club Lirica Parma, at the birthplace of Giuseppe Verdi, and the Artist of the Year Award by the Savonlinna Opera Festival in 2010. She is a two-time National Finalist of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Competition; a finalist of the “XLVI Concours International de Chant de la Ville de Toulouse”, a winner of the “Internationalen Gesangswettbewerb Ferruccio Tagliavini,” and a winner of the “Concorso Internazionale di Musica Gian Battista Viotti.” Lewis also won the Opera Prize and the Audience Award in the “Concorso Internationale di Canto Debutto A Merano.”
The 2018/19 opera season will feature the soprano’s house debuts at the Metropolitan Opera and Dallas Opera, where she will sing the title roles in Verdi’s Aïda and Puccini’s Manon Lescaut. Lewis also sang her role debut of Puccini’s Tosca at the Hamburg State Opera.
The 2017/18 opera season featured Lewis’ house debuts at the Gstaad Menuhin Opera Festival, the Royal Opera House Muscat and Opera Hong Kong in the title role character in Verdi’s Aïda. Further, she is delighted to make her highly anticipated return to Teatro La Fenice, in Venice, Italy, to perform the role of Amelia in Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera. Other outstanding engagements will include her house debut at the Hamburg State Opera, where she will perform the title role in Verdi’s Aïda, a role that she will also reprise at her beloved Vienna State Opera and the Arena di Verona.
Throughout her career, Lewis has long been considered a leading Verdian soprano, having performed in such prestigious houses as the Teatro alla Scala, the Opéra de Paris, Berlin State Opera, the Arena di Verona, Carnegie Hall, Opera di Firenze, Vienna State Opera, Royal Opera House Muscat, Teatro La Fenice, Opera Orchestra New York in Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, the Bayerische Staatsoper, the Mariinsky Theatre, Chorégies d’Orange, the Royal Danish Theatre, the Hamburgische Staatsoper, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, the Vienna Konzerthaus, Teatro Regio di Torino, Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden, the Puccini Opera Festival in Torre del Lago, Teatro Carlo Felice, Teatro Massimo Bellini, Teatro Regio di Parma, Opera Nice, Teatro San Carlo in Naples, the Savonlinna Opera Festival, Teatro Comunale di Modena, Opéra National de Lyon, Teatro Massimo di Palermo, Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Astana Opera, in addition to appearing on the far eastern stages of Korea National Opera Seoul, Hong Kong Opera, and NKH Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
Lewis has several CD and DVD recordings, including the Verdi Requiem recorded at the Opéra Bastille in Paris under the direction of Philippe Jordan, Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera from the Teatro Regio di Parma, and Aïda from Teatro alla Scala under the direction of Zubin Mehta.
Lewis resides in Vienna, Austria. Her dedication to her calling of opera performance, her passion in humanitarian work, and her commitment in leveraging resources for young, talented artists encapsulate her international travel and image as a global ambassador of the arts, culture, and philanthropy.