Theresa Kesser makes her debut this season with Sarasota Opera as a Studio Artist. Recent appearances include the title role in Marble City Opera’s production of Kamala Sankaram’s The Infinite Energy of Ada Lovelace, a return to the Southern Illinois Music Festival as Suzy in their production of Puccini’s La rondine, and a winner’s recital for the Pittsburgh Concert Society’s Major Artist Competition. In the summer of 2022, Kesser covered the title role in Richard Strauss’ Salome at Southern Illinois Music Festival, marking her transition to the soprano repertoire. In collaboration with Yale Opera and Houston Grand Opera, she participated in the first workshop of Joel Thompson’s The Snowy Day. At the Yale School of Music, she performed Paula (Florencia en el Amazonas), Larina (Eugene Onegin), and Miss Todd (The Old Maid and the Thief). She was a Studio Artist with Wolf Trap Opera for two seasons and performed as a soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra. Other recent roles include der Komponist (Ariadne auf Naxos), Berta (Il barbiere di Siviglia), and Meg (Falstaff) among others. Ms. Kesser received her Master of Musical Arts from Yale University, Master of Music in Vocal Performance from Indiana University, and holds additional degrees from the University of Denver. She was a semi-finalist in the 2023 Loren L. Zachary Competition and the 2023 AIMS Meistersinger Competition and has received awards from the Musical Merit Foundation of San Diego and the La Jolla Symphony and Chorus. She has also won prizes from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions at both the district and region level. She has been featured as a soloist in concerts with the AIMS Festival Orchestra, Cleveland Opera Theater, and Southern Illinois Music Festival. She currently lives in Pittsburgh with her husband, tenor Benjamin Werley. They perform together as frequently as possible.
Theresa Kesser
