ABOUT
"The astonishing presence of lyric soprano Stacey Fraser…"
- Jennifer de Poyen, San Diego Union Tribune
Short Biography
STACEY FRASER has been described as having a “wonderfully controlled soprano voice” by Alex Ross in the New York Times and “an astonishing presence” by the San Diego Union-Tribune. The soprano’s eclectic musical interests have made her much in demand on international operatic, concert, and theatre stages across the United States, Canada, Asia, and Europe. Mark Swed of the Los Angeles Times described her rendition of Berio’s Sequenza III as “a seamless aria, sure of musical direction while missing none of the humor or the frightening shocks of horror.” Credit highlights include the title role in Miss Donnithorne’s Maggot by Peter Maxwell Davies; the starring role in a music art film entitled Still Life After Death by Los Angeles-based and Emmy-winning filmmaker Sandra Powers; the premiere of Grammy-winning composer Jack Van Zandt’s song cycle written for her, A Chaos of Light and Motion; and director/producer of Einstein on the Beach by Philip Glass and Robert Wilson. Recent projects include a new recording of Ben Johnston’s Calamity Jane to her daughter for MicroFest Records and an album with Jack Van Zandt, featuring his A Chaos of Light and Motion and excerpts from his NEA-winning opera The New Frontier, on Neuma Records.
Recent directing credits include a staged adaptation of the AIDS Quilt Songbook for the Indian Wells Theatre in Palm Desert, CA. Fraser is a core member of the critically acclaimed Brightwork ensemble and Director of Opera Theatre and Endowed Professor at CSU San Bernardino. www.staceyfraser.com
Long Biography
Described as having a “wonderfully controlled soprano voice” by Alex Ross in the New York Times and “an astonishing presence” by the San Diego Union-Tribune, Canadian soprano Stacey Fraser’s eclectic musical interests have led her to sing on international operatic, concert and theatre stages across the United States, Canada, Asia and Europe. She has appeared as a soloist for the San Diego Opera, La Jolla Playhouse, the Kennedy Center, Taipei National Concert Hall, ISCM Taiwan, the Musicasa Concert Hall in Tokyo, Japan, the Thailand Composition Festival, the Americké Jaro Festival in Prednasek, Czech Republic, Red Square Gallery Hong Kong, the Festival Eduardo Mata in Oaxaca, Mexico, Vancouver Symphony, Kazan Co-Op Theatre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, South Dakota Symphony, La Jolla Symphony, San Bernardino Symphony, Banff Centre, Tanglewood Music Center, Asia Society NYC, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center and the world renowned La MaMa Experimental Theatre in New York City.
"Stacey Fraser made the Sequenza into a seamless aria, sure of musical direction while missing none of the humor or the frightening shocks of horror..."
-Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times
She has received critical acclaim from international papers including the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego Theatre Scene, Sequenza 21, I care if you listen, San Francisco Classical Voice, The Whole Note, PAN M 360, RagMag and the Oltner Tagblatt for her performances in both standard and contemporary repertoire. Mark Swed of the Los Angeles Times described her rendition of Berio’s Sequenza III as “a seamless aria, sure of musical direction while missing none of the humor or the frightening shocks of horror.”
As a passionate advocate for modern music, she can be heard on various record labels including ein Klang, Bridge, Voices of the Pearl, MicroFest, and Neuma. She is also the highlighted performer in the art film Still Life After Death, directed by the acclaimed Sandra Powers, a multiple Emmy-winning filmmaker. The film features music by Grawemeyer award-winning composer Chinary Ung and is available for viewing on Amazon Prime Video.
Noteworthy performances include the title role in Peter Maxwell Davies' Miss Donnithorne's Maggot with Brightwork newmusic, as well as a staged adaptation of Mathew Rosenblum's Falling in collaboration with Dancer/Choreographer Faith Jensen-Ismay for the Beyond 2020 Microtonal Festival in Pittsburgh, PA. She has also portrayed the title role in the Canadian premiere of Robert Xavier Rodriguez’s Concert Suite from Frida for Kazan Co-op Theatre and Anna I in Kurt Weill’s Die Sieben Todsünden, co-produced by Mojalet Dance Collective and the lotusflower new music project. Current projects involve performances of the NEA-winning monodrama The New Frontier by Jack Van Zandt in collaboration with Grammy-winning pianist Nadia Shpachenko, as well as ongoing development of the NEA-awarded new opera by Pamela Madsen, titled Why Women Went West.
"Stacey Fraser sang the central role with a wonderfully controlled soprano voice…"
- Alex Ross, New York Times
As a producer and stage director, her innovative, modern, and zany adaptations of operatic repertoire include works by Bernstein, Humperdinck, Mozart, Offenbach, Donizetti, Vernon Duke, John Adams, Missy Mazzoli, RX Rodriguez, Poulenc, Schumann, Philip Glass and Robert Wilson. Additional credits include works by Bizet/Brook, Weill, and Piazzolla. She assisted esteemed Canadian director Kelly Robinson on Mozart’s Don Giovanni for the Opera as Theatre program at the Banff Centre for the Arts and has collaborated on numerous original productions with Faith Jensen-Ismay of Mojalet Dance Collective. In spring 2025, she directed and produced the world premiere staged adaptation of the AIDS Quilt Songbook.
She holds a Doctorate in Contemporary Music Performance from the University of California, San Diego, Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the Manhattan School of Music, and a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Toronto. Fraser is a core member of the critically acclaimed Brightwork ensemble and an Endowed Professor/Director of Opera Theatre at CSU San Bernardino. Professional affiliations and memberships include AGMA, Canadian Actors Equity, NATS and the Recording Academy. www.staceyfraser.com