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Alissa
Ruth-Suver

Soprano // Conductor

"...gleaming..." "...spellbinding..."
"...so ethereal that the hairs on your neck will stand on end."

Alissa-Ruth-Suver-309-Edit.jpg

BIOGRAPHIES

SINGING WORK

Soprano Alissa Ruth-Suver's clarity, warmth, and flexibility have allowed her to perform a wide variety of repertoire across the United States, both as a soloist and ensemble singer. 


As a choral artist, Alissa can be heard with a variety of professional ensembles around the country, including the Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Skylark Ensemble, Ensemble Altera, Ensemble Iona, ensemble viii, Conspirare, The Crossing, True Concord, and Orpheus Chamber Singers. She has also appeared as a soloist with Bourbon Baroque (Louisville, KY) and American Baroque Opera Co (Dallas, TX), appearing in both opera and oratorio performances.

 

As a featured soloist on Skylark's album Once Upon a Time, "... soprano Alissa Ruth-Suver and Skylark give a performance so ethereal that the hairs on your neck will stand on end." ​Alissa's recent solo credits include Hindemith's Das Marienleben, Eccles' Semele (for which she "provided a gleaming soprano" in the roles of Ino and Cupid), Whitacre's Goodnight Moon (reviewed as "spellbinding" on Skylark Ensemble's GRAMMY®-nominated album "It's a Long Way") Buxtehude's Membra Jesu Nostri, Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, Handel's Messiah, Bach's Mass in B minor, Scarlatti's 7 Arie con Tromba Sola, and Couperin's Leçons de ténèbres. She performs regularly with early music organizations across the country in addition to her collaborations with the wind ensembles at Capital and Baylor Universities.

 

TEACHING and CONDUCTING WORK

 

Alissa is a sought-after clinician and masterclass instructor. She has led voice masterclasses at Baldwin-Wallace University, Southern Virginia University, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, and Kilgore College, and has worked in residence with choral ensembles at University of North Texas and Baylor University. She loves mentoring students who are interested in being professional singers and is especially passionate about sharing ways that contemporary music and professional choral singing can be a part of an active and varied performance career. 

Alissa has a background in vocal music education, and has served as a secondary choral music educator for much of her career, first in her home state of Ohio, and most recently in Fort Worth, Texas. Since being named the "Young Teacher of the Year" in her first year of teaching, she has been a guest choral clinician at Southern Virginia University, Capital University, Phillips Exeter Academy, Indian Springs Middle School, Timberview Middle School, and Trinity Springs Middle School. She was honored to assist in the Timber Creek HS Choir's appearance at the 2023 National ACDA Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio. At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, she was on a small team of educators who created and contributed to Skylark Ensemble's Virtual Choral Education Program, creating a series of teaching modules that could be used by educators and students alike to continue to nurture a love of choral music while apart. 

Alissa is currently in the process of earning her Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting at Baylor University. In 2024, she was selected to conduct at the Eastern ACDA Graduate Choral Conductors' Workshop (Dr. Jason Max Ferdinand, instructor) and the Yale University Norfolk Chamber Choir & Choral Conducting Workshop (Dr. Jeffrey Douma and Dr. Felicia Barber, instructors). She loves making high-level choral music and is honored to have a career in which she has a place both in the choir and on the podium. After all, "there is no such beauty as where you belong."

EDUCATION

 

Master of Music in Choral Conducting

Baylor University // Waco, TX

Anticipated May 2025

Bachelor of Music in Education

Capital University // Columbus, OH

May 2014

Showreel

MEDIA

"Full Fathom Five" Ralph Vaughan Williams & "The Deer's Cry" (excerpt) Arvo Pärt

Conducting Recital
Baylor University Chamber Singers

"Sea Drift" (excerpt) Samuel Coleridge-Taylor & "Her Beacon Hand" Caroline Shaw

Conducting Recital
Baylor University Chamber Singers

"Chiome d'oro" Claudio Monteverdi

Santa Fe Desert Chorale
with Chelsea Helm, Soprano

"Goodnight Moon" Eric Whitacre

with David McGrory, Piano

"Le Secret" - Gabriel Fauré

with Joy Schreier, piano

"Ad Manus" (excerpt) Dieterich Buxtehude

American Baroque Opera Co.
from "Membra Jesu Nostri"

"i-i-o hi-ho" arr. Erland van Koch

Skylark Ensemble

"Why the Caged Bird Sings" Jake Runestad

Conspirare

"We'll Meet Again" Parker / Charles

"Jesus Christ the Apple Tree" Elizabeth Poston

"Sicut Cervus" Palestrina

"Fear No Danger" Henry Purcell

Skylark Ensemble

with Sarah Brauer, Michael Boswell,
and Kyle Ferrill

American Baroque Opera Co.
from "Dido and Aeneas"

I. Geburt Mariä - Hindemith (SMU)Das Marienleben
00:00 / 04:05
II. Die Darstellung Mariä im Tempel - Hindemith (SMU)Das Marien
00:00 / 07:57
IV. Mariä Heimsuchung - Hindemith (SMU)Das Marienleben
00:00 / 03:00
VI. Verkündigung über die Hirten - Hindemith (SMU)Das Marienleben
00:00 / 05:15
VIII. Rast auf der Flucht nach Agypten - Hindemith (SMU)Das Marienleben
00:00 / 04:12
XII. Stillung Mariä mit dem Auferstandenen - Hindemith (SMU)Das Marienleben
00:00 / 02:28
Fall and Decline Mov't 1 - Greg Brown (1)Variant 6
00:00 / 03:55
Lamentations of Jeremiah - Daleth - Benjamin Boyle (1)Variant 6
00:00 / 04:07
BWV 51 Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen - J.S. BachBach Ensemble of St. Thomas
00:00 / 04:46
Oft She Vists from Dido and Aeneas - PurcellAmerican Baroque Opera Co.
00:00 / 02:04
Goodnight Moon - Eric WhitacreCapital University Symphonic Winds
00:00 / 05:34
My Soul is a Candle - Jake RunestadCapital University Choir Department
00:00 / 04:50

DISCOGRAPHY

The Road Home

Santa Fe Desert Chorale

with GRAMMY-winning producer Blanton Alspaugh

Canticle

VAE Cincinnati

GRAMMY-nominated for
Best Choral Album

The Hope of Loving

Conspirare

GRAMMY-nominated for
Best Choral Album

Once Upon a Time

Skylark

Rachmaninoff Vespers (LIVE)

Skylark

La Vie en Rose

Skylark

Clear Voices in the Dark

Skylark

GRAMMY-nominated for
Best Choral Album

It's a Long Way

Skylark

2024 CALENDAR


February 2024: TMEA (TX) All-State Mixed Choir
Guest soloist for Miskinis "Neišeik, saulala" Michael Barrett, conductor

February 2024: Ensemble Iona
"The Music of Morten Lauridsen and Jonathan Dove"

Ensemble Iona, Fort Worth's premiere vocal ensemble, performs Jonathan Dove's incredible song cycle, "The Passing of the Year," and works by beloved American composer Morten Lauridsen. 

March 2024: Ensemble Altera
"The Lamb's Journey"

A Choral Narrative from Gibbons to Barber.

March 2024: Baylor Conducting Recital
"Home and the High Seas"

Graduate conductor Alissa Ruth Suver conducts a program of her own creation, which tells the story of searching for home by taking to the sea. Featuring repertoire by Palestrina, Matthew Hazzard, Vaughan Williams, Pärt, Coleridge-Taylor, Caroline Shaw, and Craig Hella Johnson.

March 2024: Baylor Voice Recital
Hindemith "Das Marienleben"

Soprano Alissa Ruth Suver and pianist Cezary Karwowski offer this rarely-performed, highly virtuosic 15-movement song cycle that recounts the life of the Virgin Mary, from her birth, through Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, through her death. 

March 2024: SMU Perkins School of Theology
Hindemith "Das Marienleben"

Soprano Alissa Ruth Suver and pianist Lisa Anderson offer this rarely-performed, highly virtuosic 15-movement song cycle that recounts the life of the Virgin Mary, from her birth, through Christ's crucifixion and resurrection, through her death. 

April 2024: Vox Seraphim 
Handel "Dixit Dominus" and Vivaldi "Gloria"

Eugene Lavery leads the Vox Seraphim Choir and Baroque Orchestra in a performance of Handel's "Dixit Dominus" and Vivaldi's "Gloria."

April 2024: Skylark
"Goodnight Moon"

Join Skylark as we reflect on childhood, parenting, and unconditional love. You will hear beautiful solos like Eric Whitacre's sparkling setting of "Goodnight Moon" alongside gorgeous choral pieces by Johannes Brahms, Herbert Howells, Sarah Rimkus, and others. Skylark will also be joined by celebrated jazz pianist and composer Dan Tepfer for the world premiere of his new composition: Words My Mother Left Me.

June 2024: Highlander Concert Series
Berlioz "Requiem"

Performed at the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, Texas.

July 2024 / August 2024: Santa Fe Desert Chorale
"Songs of the Americas"

Embark on a musical expedition as sixteen professional Desert Chorale artists, accompanied by chamber orchestra and percussion, explore the rich heritage of 17th and 18th century music from North and South America. Experience the toe-tapping melodies and soul-stirring harmonies of works by Latin American Baroque composers. Then, return to the present with selections from the modern Mass of the Americas by Frank La Rocca, in which he melds together “tones of Western church music with those of traditional Mexican folk songs.” Debuted in 2018, this “cornerstone of modern liturgical composition” (Mark Nowakowski) incorporates texts in Spanish, Latin, and Nahuatl (the indigenous language of the Aztecs).

July 2024 / August 2024: Santa Fe Desert Chorale
"Out of this World"

Spend an evening soaring the skies with our twenty-four professional Desert Chorale artists as they traverse extraterrestrial beauties, the thrills of flight, and the miracle of human connection. From classical masterpieces to popular tunes by Dolly Parton and others, there’s something for everyone during this interstellar program. Don’t miss the chance to hear beloved works from our album The Road Home live in concert. Plus, be the first to experience not just one but two world premieres! First, our 2024 commissioned composer Daniel Knaggs will dazzle you with Harmony of the World, which incorporates the words of renowned astronomer Johannes Kepler. Then, as a new partner with Chicago a cappella’s HerVoice competition and mentorship program for up-and-coming women composers, the Desert Chorale is honored to present Thoughts by winner Andelena Jackson. Prepare to be filled with awe and wonder on a musical journey for the ears and the soul.

July 2024 / August 2024: Santa Fe Desert Chorale
"The Great Romantics"

Immerse yourself in the lush harmonies, sweeping melodies, and tender poetry of the German Romantics. Impressive works of Johannes Brahms bookend a sublime set of vocal chamber music by Franz Schubert and Robert Schumann, featuring several Desert Chorale artists as soloists, all with lyrics and music that delve into the depths of human emotion. The twenty-four professional Desert Chorale singers accompanied by piano bring to life a spectacular sampling from these giants of the Western classical tradition. Come and experience these vocal masterworks of the 19th century like you’ve never heard them before.

August 2024: Yale Norfolk Chamber Music Festival
Chamber Choir & Choral Conducting Workshop

The Norfolk Chamber Music Festival  advances the mission of the Yale School of Music through intense focus on the study and development of chamber music. The Festival provides opportunities for the most talented young instrumentalists, singers, and composers to collaborate with internationally acclaimed musicians and presents world-class performances exploring traditional and contemporary chamber music repertoire. 

September 2024: Ensemble Iona
Join Fort Worth's premiere professional vocal ensemble for their fall performance. 

October 2024: Skylark
"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"

Skylark returns to their beloved storytelling concert series with this choral rendition of the beloved Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

December 2024: Santa Fe Desert Chorale
"A Rose in Winter"

Experience the warmth, light, and beauty of the holiday season during the Desert Chorale’s 2024 Winter Festival. This year’s program, A Rose in Winter, reflects on the hope and wonder we experience this time of year, as miraculous as a flower blooming during the cold of December. Joined by pianist Nathan Salazar, our twenty-four professional artists return to the Land of Enchantment from across the nation for concerts, caroling, and more. Celebrate this festive time of year with beloved carols you know and love alongside new musical treasures to add to your collection of favorite seasonal tunes.

PREVIOUS PERFORMANCE SEASONS

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