Amber Norelai, Soprano
The young coloratura soprano with dual citizenship to both the USA and Venezuela is quickly establishing herself as a rising star on the operatic stage. Amber Norelai has performed in numerous concerts in the United States, Germany and Austria. She recently performed the soprano solo in Mahler’s Fourth Symphony at Vienna’s prestigious Musikverein, home of the Vienna Philharmonic and the soprano solo of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater at the Schlosstheater in Vienna. In the summer of 2022, she covered the role of Nannetta in Falstaff as a Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Artist and sang Zerbinetta in the Apprentice Scenes. This coming fall she will begin as a Resident Artist at Palm Beach Opera.
Her repertoire includes roles such as Nannetta in Verdi’s Falstaff with the Dallas Opera, Anna Reich in Nicolai’s Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor, Mélisande in Debussy’s Pelleas et Mélisande, Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni at the Wilhelma Theatre in Stuttgart Germany, Juanita in Weill’s Der Kuhhandel at the Isny Opera Festival in Munich, and, most recently, Zerbinetta in Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos.
Ms. Norelai is the recipient of numerous awards including the Jimmy Brady Rose Vocal Music Award, the Frieda Derdeyn Bambas Voice Award, the Deutschlandstipendium in 2021, first prize winner of the 14th International Vocal Competition Giovani Musicisti, semi-finalist in the James Toland Vocal Competition, and the Best Opera Singer Category Award at the NOMEA International Competition.
Ms. Norelai moved to the USA from Caracas, Venezuela just before her 12th birthday. She went on to complete her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Oklahoma under the tutelage of Dr. Dolores Leffingwell, and Prof. Lorne Richstone, former opera coach at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. She continued her musical education at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart (State University of Music and Performing Arts), Germany under Prof. Turid Karlsen, earning a Master of Music Degree in Opera Performance.
She currently resides in Vienna, Austria, where she is works with Austrian bass-baritone, Florian Boesch at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien (University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna), and American soprano Claudia Visca. “