Lauren Woods (soprano) is a versatile and magnetic performer whose artistry spans opera, musical theatre, recital, and oratorio stages across Canada. A proud Calgarian, she was thrilled to return to her hometown as one of Calgary Opera’s Emerging Artists for the 2016–2017 season.  Lauren holds a Master’s degree in Voice Performance from McGill University, a Bachelor’s degree in Opera from the University of British Columbia, and a Performance Diploma from Mount Royal University.

 

Most recently, Lauren was seen as Kathy in the musical, The Last Five Years (Nightingale). Lauren is a sought-after soloist throughout Alberta, recently featured in Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with the Calgary Civic Symphony and Bach’s Mass in B Minor with the Juno-nominated ensemble Luminous Voices. Her operatic credits include a wide range of leading roles: Brenda in Rene Orth’s Empty the House (Ammolite Opera), the title roles in Rodelinda and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Amy in Little Women (Opera McGill), Adina in The Elixir of Love, Musetta in La Bohème, the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute, Gretel in Hansel und Gretel (Cowtown Opera), Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro (Opera NUOVA), Gilda in Rigoletto, Sophie in Werther (Canadian Children's Opera Company), Nanetta in Falstaff, and Despina in Così fan tutte, with performances across the Czech Republic, Ontario, and Vancouver (UBC).

 

A finalist in McGill’s prestigious Wirth Vocal Competition (2016), Lauren was also one of six singers selected to represent Canada at the International Belvedere Singing Competition in Amsterdam. She appeared with Mercury Opera in 104 Underground, a production featured in the OMNI TV documentary of the same name.

 

In addition to her performing career, she maintains a thriving private voice studio and is in high demand as a vocal coach and adjudicator. Outside of music, Lauren is also a visual artist, an accomplished figure skater, and a proud mother of two.