Nicole Heinen, soprano
Dr. Dennis Gotkowski, pianist

Join us for an amazing evening of Opera and art song presented by our inaugural 2023 Mary Ellen Clancy Memorial Scholarship Winner! This scholarship is given in partnership through the MIOpera International Vocal Competition and the Opera Illinois League to honor Mary Ellen Clancy's legacy of helping emerging artists through the founding of the Opera Illinois League.

Nicole Heinen, soprano
Noted for her "golden-voiced" singing (Voix des Arts) and "deft hand at verbal and physical comedy" (The Isthmus), American soprano Nicole Heinen (she/her/hers) has dazzled audiences with her demanding stage presence. Praised by the Journal Sentinel for her “clear, ringing sound and facile technique”, Ms. Heinen is establishing herself as an artist to watch.

In the 2021-22 season, Ms. Heinen sang Henrietta M. (The Mother of Us All) and covered Mukhtar Mai (Thumbprint), Lillian Russell (The Mother of Us All) and Un Pastore (Tosca) at the Chautauqua Opera Company. She also made her debut TV appearance as “Iolanta” in AMC's “Interview with the Vampire'' released Fall 2022. Additionally, Ms. Heinen won 4th Place at the Shreveport Opera’s “Mary Jacob Smith Singer of the Year Competition” and the Wisconsin District for the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. She has also participated as a finalist in the John Alexander Vocal Competition and a semi-finalist in the Premiere Opera Foundation Competition, Orpheus Vocal Competition and Mary Jacob Smith Singer of the Year Competition.
In the 2022-2023 season, Ms. Heinen will be making her role debut with New Orleans Opera as the Dew Fairy in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel under the direction of E. Loren Meeker. She will also make another role debut with Florentine Opera as Despina in Mozart’s Così fan tutte under the direction of Jill Anna Ponasik.
As a Baumgartner Studio Artist, Ms. Heinen made her debut with the Florentine Opera portraying Miss Frayne and Margaret Hughes (cover) in Carlisle Floyd's Prince of Players and Fortuna/Valletto in Claudio Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea. Additionally, Nicole performed as a soloist in Florentine Opera’s 85th anniversary gala where she “brought [Juliette’s Waltz] off with beauty and mischief” (Urban Milwaukee). In addition to her significant debut’s with Florentine in the 2018-2019 season, Ms. Heinen won the Wisconsin District as part of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and the IAET Award in the Casa Italia Competition.

During the 2017-2018 season Ms. Heinen made both her debut appearances as a summer concert artist in residence with the Florentine Opera and performer at the Ravinia Festival. In addition to her debuts, Nicole was a finalist in the 2017 international Handel Aria Competition in part with the Madison Early Music Festival. Other roles include La Fée (Cendrillon), Mademoiselle Silberklang (Der Schauspieldirektor), Atalanta (Serse), Sister Constance (cover, Dialogues of the Carmelites), Miss Wordsworth (Albert Herring), #1 (Transformations) and Adina (Elixir of Love) while touring with Opera for the Young in their 2016-2017 season.
Ms. Heinen holds a Bachelors in Music from the Eastman School of Music and a Masters in Music from UW-Madison. Her repertoire includes but not limited to Lucia (Lucia di Lammermoor), Juliette (Roméo et Juliette), Konstanze (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), La Fée
(Cendrillon), Marie (La Fille du Régiment), Cunegonde (Candide), and Cleopatra (Giulio Cesare).