You reached this page through the archive. Click here to return to the archive.

Note: This article is over a year old and information contained in it may no longer be accurate. Please use the contact information in the lower-left corner to verify any information in this article.

Finding her voice

By Alexandra Wertz '12
March 7, 2011
Heather Johnson '94 performs with Christopher Schaldanbrand in the Boston Lyric Opera's production of Don Giovanni.

For Heather Johnson '94, persistence paid off.

It took nearly a decade after leaving the Hill — where she sang with the Manitou Singers, Cantorei, and the St. Olaf Choir — for Johnson's career as a professional opera singer to really take off.

But she never took her eyes off her dream, and today the St. Olaf alumna can say she's making a living by performing at venues such as Carnegie Hall. "The best decision I made was to stay a vocal performance major and really trust the people who believed in me," Johnson says.

After leaving St. Olaf, she earned her master's degree from the Manhattan School of Music, studied in Italy, and began performing in young artist's programs at places like the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Glimmerglass Opera, and Minnesota Opera.

This season Johnson, who now lives in New York, is performing leading roles with the Sarasota Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, Opera New Jersey, Opera Southwest, New Hampshire Music Festival, and New Haven Symphony Orchestra, in addition to giving a recital of Norwegian and Swedish music with the Lotte Lehmann Foundation in New York. She took some time to share how she turned a love of singing into a career.

What has been your journey as a singer?
I guess you can say I was a bit of a late bloomer. I always had 'a beautiful voice,' but through intense vocal study something changed around age 30 — something just clicked with my technique, my body, and my attitude. That year I made it to the semifinals of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and the finals of both the Houston Grand Opera Competition and the Lyric Opera of Chicago Program. That year also brought what I think of as my first 'big break' that came in the form of singing Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana with Glimmerglass Opera. This opportunity led to my being hired with the New York City Opera, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Do you ever get nervous on stage? Do you have an embarrassing performance moment?
Absolutely! Nerves are something that just come with the territory. But I have learned to take those nerves and channel them into positive energy on stage. And I've definitely had some onstage bloopers — everything from tripping over my skirt to singing in the wrong language (in my defense, I was singing Carmen in German in Germany, which is a blooper in itself). What makes live theater wonderful is that you never know what's going to happen.

As an opera singer, a big part of your career is acting. How do you balance singing and acting?
Transforming myself into a character is one of my favorite aspects of being an opera singer. I feel fortunate that as a mezzo soprano, I get to embody so many rich characters, from Cinderella to Hänsel to Carmen and everything in between. I'm currently preparing for the role of Elizabeth Proctor in Robert Ward's setting of Arthur Miller's play The Crucible. With such a dramatic role, it's very important that I am true to the character and tension of the drama but not let it affect my vocal production. This is true in any role, whether it be comedy or drama.

How did St. Olaf prepare you for your career in opera?
I am a firm believer that a liberal arts education creates a well-rounded individual. This is vital in any field, but especially as a musician. St. Olaf gave me an incredible music education from top to bottom, not only through my coursework but through my many musical experiences. I will always count singing in the St. Olaf Choir as one my greatest musical experiences. The sense of unity and collaborative music-making I experienced as a member of the choir truly helped form who I am as musician. But above all, my study with my voice teacher, Professor of Music Dan Dressen, was the most important. He not only taught me how to sing, but he gave me the tools to be a singer. He taught me to be disciplined, to study my craft hard and thoroughly, to always be prepared, to have a strong sense of self, to be an honest actress, and to have fun. His belief in me as a singer carried me through my years at St. Olaf and continues to do so every day in my career.

What advice would you give to St. Olaf students interested in a career in music?
Stay focused on yourself and your own study, not what other people are doing. Have patience and determination.

Contact Kari VanDerVeen at 507-786-3970 or vanderve@stolaf.edu.