American-Venezuelan soprano, Amber Norelai, returns to Sante Fe Opera this summer as an Apprentice Singer singing the role of Euridice in Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo. She opened her 2022/2023 calendar season as a first year Benenson Young Artist with the Palm Beach Opera. Her mainstage work in PBO’s season included covering Nannetta in Falstaff and Despina in Così fan tutte. Her scene work included Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor and Sophie in Werther under the direction of Paul Curran.

Summer 2022 had Ms. Norelai as an apprentice artist with Santa Fe Opera. Her mainstage work there included the cover of Nannetta in Falstaff in David McVicar’s production and scene-work as Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos and Noémie in Cendrillon.

Highlights of the 2021/2022 season included Ms. Norelai appearing at the Vienna’s prestigious Musikverein, home of the Vienna Philharmonic, singing Das himmlische Leben from Mahler’s Symphony No.4 with Michał Juraszek and the Wiener Akademische Philharmonie. She also sang the soprano solo of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater under the baton of Erwin Schrott and the Webern Kammerphilharmonie in Schlosstheater Schönbrunn, Vienna.

Her European debut was made in 2020 singing Anna Reich in Bernd Schmitt’s production of Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor in Wilhelma Theater Stuttgart, Germany, which led to her return the season after singing Zerlina in Don Giovanni. The following months were spent singing Juanita in with Isny Oper Festival in Munich, and Annalena in Papageno’s Zauberwelt with Kammeroper Köln.

Ms. Norelai earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education from the University of Oklahoma and her Master of Music from the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Stuttgart (Music Conservatory in Stuttgart, Germany).

She has received awards from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions as a 2023 District Winner as well as the winner of the 14th International Vocal Competition “Giovani Musicisti”. She was awarded the Jimmy Brady Rose Vocal Music award and the Frieda Derdeyn Bambas Voice Award from the University of Oklahoma and the Deutschlandstipendium in 2021 from the Music Conservatory in Stuttgart.