Clarissa Lyons '11

 A native of Davis, California, soprano Clarissa Lyons received Bachelor of Arts with Honors from the University of California Berkeley where she majored in Music and minored in History of Art.  In May, she earned her first Master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music. 

Ms. Lyons recently appeared as Elaine O’Neill in the New York Premier of John Musto’s Later the Same Evening, as Greta Fiorentino in MSM’s outreach production of Street Scene, and covered Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus.  She has sung scenes from Dialogues of the Carmelites, Rusalka, Falstaff, Le Nozze di Figaro, Cosi fan Tutte, Die Zauberflöte and Fidelio.  In July 2009, she will be performing Mimi in Prelude to Performance’s production of La Boheme. 

Ms. Lyons has also appeared as a soloist in UC Berkeley’s performance of Mendelssohn’s Elijah and as a guest soloist with the Vermont Philharmonic.  In March 2009, she appeared in the New York premiere of Fred Lerdahl’s The First Voices with the Manhattan School of Music Percussion Ensemble.  Ms. Lyons has been awarded the Bel Canto Institute Orchestral Performance Award, the James Schwabacher Jr. Memorial Award, and UC Berkeley’s Eisner Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts.  She studies with Patricia Misslin.