
Artist of the Week: Nicole Heaston
American Soprano Brings ‘Vanessa’ to the National Symphony orchestra
By Francisco Salazar(Credit: © WILLIAM STRUHS/Spoleto Festival USA)
Barber’s “Vanessa” is a work rarely heard. That is why when the occasion to hear the work comes, audiences run to see it. It doesn’t hurt if it has a great cast. This week the National Symphony Orchestra is bringing the work to audiences with a stellar cast that includes Nicole Heaston in the title role.
Heaston will bring her acclaimed interpretation to Washington D.C. after singing it at the Spoleto Festival to great acclaim with critics stating she was “vocally solid.” Now she will sing the role for the second time in concert.
In a recent interview with OperaWire, Heaston said that her interpretation had evolved since 2023. She said, “Going through the process of actually performing it changed my mind about who Vanessa is and I saw her as more human, so coming back to it was refreshing. The music is very difficult, so I worked really hard on it. When I reopened it, it just came back to me so quickly. This time I felt enveloped in the character. I love the fact that I’m doing it with another conductor and different artists, because it gives me a chance to respond in different ways than I did in Spoleto. Each time you do this sort of role with different people, and especially different conductor, you have to be flexible and adaptive to what they’re offering. It helps you to color your character and interactions with other performers.”
For those not in Washington D.C. for the performances, there will be a live recording made for the piece. Heaston will also perform “Rinaldo” at the Detroit Opera and “The Listeners” at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Recordings
For those that want to listen to more of Heaston, the soprano has recordings “Adriano in Siria” from Italy and “Jackie O – The Opera” from teh Houston Grand Opera.
Here are recordings of Heaston singing from “Madama Butterfly” and “L’Elisir d’Amore.”