Olivia Vote
Soloist, The Depth of Joy: A Night of Brahms Celebrating Scott Tucker’s 10th Season
A frequent performer with The Metropolitan Opera in New York City, Choral Arts’ audiences last heard Olivia Vote in Rossini’s Stabat Mater (May 2018) with guest conductor Antony Walker. We are thrilled to share the stage with Olivia for The Depth of Joy on June 16, 2022.
Choral Arts: Can you tell us about your current professional roles?
Olivia Vote: Currently, I live in NYC and have worked primarily for the last few seasons at the Metropolitan Opera. Before moving to NYC, I lived all over working throughout the country and also in Zürich Switzerland with Opernhaus Zürich for 3 years. Some of my favorite roles have been the Komponist in Ariadne auf Naxos, Mère Marie in Dialogues des Carmélites, Nicklausse in Les Contes d’Hoffmann to name a few.
I am originally from a musical family in Maryland. My father is a baritone and choral conductor at St. Mary’s College of MD and my mother is an organist and pianist. I feel very lucky to have had them as musical mentors throughout my life. They recently moved to Washington, DC. I think this makes me an honorary DC resident.
It is such an honor to perform with the Choral Arts Society of Washington again. The Brahms Alto Rhapsody is deeply meaningful and soul-touching for me. I can’t wait!!
Choral Arts: What album, recording, or artist are you listening to most right now?
Olivia Vote: At the moment, I’ve been listening to the Brahms Alto Rhapsody most. Part of my preparation is to listen to as many recordings as possible to understand different tempos and interpretations and take it all in as research in my effort to find my own motivation. My favorite recordings are a live recording with Christa Ludwig and Wiener Philharmoniker conducted by Karl Böhm, and a recording of Jessye Norman with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Riccardo Muti.
Choral Arts: Tell us about a recent experience of profound joy.
Olivia Vote: During the pandemic and moving forward, I have found most of my profound joy to be made up of lots of little joys. For example, the feeling I get when I walk onto the stage or through the artists’ entrance of a theater is gratitude. I am so grateful to be a working artist and am joyful. The moments in the rehearsal room, flooded with natural light and extraordinary colleagues, working for hours on interpretation and musicality, bring me deep joy.
The moment I am looking forward to most this week is that first rehearsal with the orchestra, chorus, and Maestro Tucker. When you’ve been working on a piece for months and imagining how the orchestra and the voices all come together and then you finally hear it…it is awe-inspiring.
Choral Arts: What is a recent transformative musical moment you have experienced?
Olivia Vote: Recently I was covering the Komponist in Ariadne auf Naxos at The Metropolitan Opera. For the last performance, I went on to perform the role with less than two hours of notice. It was a thrill and a whirlwind! I had to be present, responsive, and reactive all without judgment. There simply was no time to judge myself or my performance. The result was so freeing, and it is something I plan to take with me into future performances.
Choral Arts: Where can we hear you next?
Olivia Vote: Next season I return to the Met for the new production of The Magic Flute and will cover the role of Neris in the opening season production of Medea. I will also sing at Opera Southwest’s New Year’s Gala in New Mexico.
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