Soprano Amy Broadbent is a founding member of the vocal quartet The Polyphonists. She has performed in ensembles including The Crossing, Seraphic Fire, True Concord, The Choir of Trinity Wall Street, Santa Fe Desert Chorale, and the Choir of the Basilica.

The Washington Bach Consort will be presenting Bach’s “Mass in B Minor” at the National Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC on April 25-26, 2026 with Broadbent as a soprano soloist. Bach never likely performed this Mass, among his greatest works. Leading up to this program, Choral Arts presents Ralph Vaughan Williams’s “Dona Nobis Pacem” and Gustav Holst’s “Two Psalms” featuring Amy on April 18 at Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall.

OperaWire had the opportunity to visit more with Amy in this exclusive interview.

OperaWire: I am delighted to meet you and to have the opportunity to interview you, especially since you are in the category of triple talent: soprano, conductor and composer! In your multifaceted career, do you think of yourself more as a soprano, conductor or composer?

Amy Broadbent: I am a singer first, but singing informs all of my work in other musical spheres.

OW: I noticed in listening to some of your recordings, that you have a rich soprano voice, and you have an interest in early music, singing in a very stylized sound. You are very effective in both. Is that something which evolved, or that you recognized you were able to do from the get go?

AB: Thank you. Flexibility is central to my vocal approach, in every sense of the word. I try to be very intentional about what each style requires and modify accordingly–the baseline technique is generally the same, but stylistic elements like vibrato and registration may shift. As a young singer, I sang basically anything I could find, which was helpful in building that flexibility early. I am also a strong believer in cross training in commercial styles outside of classical music (pop, jazz, musical theater).

This approach has allowed me (within reason) to sing a fairly wide variety of repertoire, from the Vaughan Williams “Dona Nobis Pacem,” a more dramatic color, to Bach, which is generally lighter.

OW: What are some of your favorite roles? Your favorite concert works?

AB: I tend to be really excited about what I’m currently working on… so I’m excited about the Vaughan Williams “Dona Nobis Pacem!” I’ve done the “B Minor Mass” a lot; it’s a perennial favorite. I’m also working on songs by Josephine Lang, Jake Heggie (as I mention below), and Clara Schumann–all wonderful in their own right. Other favorites off the top of my head include Pamina in “Die Zauberflöte,” Barber’s “Knoxville: Summer of 1915,” Stravinsky’s “Les Noces,” “Messiah,” the Bach Passions… a lot to choose from!

OW: Do you prefer singing contemporary music or early music? Which contemporary composers do you enjoy singing most?

AB: Singing early music generally feels more like home to me. I enjoy the improvisatory/ornamental elements of early music, the character of historic instruments, and the beautiful “vocal” quality of much early music writing.

I do find that there is often a lot of skill overlap between singing new music and early music. I am currently preparing a song cycle by Jake Heggie–I really enjoy how lyrical and melodic his vocal writing is. It’s tuneful and flows pretty naturally with the poetry. My quartet recently commissioned a piece by Jonathan Woody, who is a wonderful singer in his own right; Jonathan did a fantastic job of fusing stile antico practice with contemporary harmonies.

OW: How is preparing a singing role different for you from say preparing for conducting?

AB: I think the preparation is similar. Both require intimate knowledge of the score and text. But the roles are very different. As a soloist you are focused externally, giving to the audience. As a conductor you are focused inward to the ensemble, taking care of your people, and providing the environment and clarity so that every player and singer can succeed. You want to make the musicians feel both inspired and comfortable enough to give their best performance to the audience.

OW: If you had your choice would you prefer to be spending more time composing?

AB: I would prefer it to doing many other things… like taxes, laundry… but I don’t have ambitions for any large scale works right now. I’ve been doing a lot of arranging lately as opposed to composing, which is a different but fun challenge.

OW: What are you currently planning to write?

AB: I am working on setting poetry by Elinor Wylie for my quartet The Polyphonists. Working with four solo voices is a good exercise in restraint.

OW: Any thoughts about writing your own libretti or do you prefer to work with a librettist?

AB: I generally prefer to use someone else’s words.

OW: Who do you consider your mentors?

AB: Laura Choi-Stuart is a fantastic soprano, also based in Washington, D.C. When I was brand-new on the scene, well over a decade ago, she encouraged me to sing for J. Reilly Lewis and other conductors in town. There was no competitive undertone or antagonism, just helping a colleague succeed. I still go to Laura with questions about repertoire, career advice, teaching, and she makes time for me–I kind of think of her as a singing older sibling. I am so grateful for the warmth I was shown as a young professional, and have tried to emulate the encouragement I benefitted from when I work with younger singers.

I have also had wonderful teachers along the way. Ed Maclary, Elizabeth Daniels, Gran Wilson, Carmen Balthrop, and Phil Barnes, to name a few.

OW: Were you in any way prepared for the business of music or is that something you picked up as your career progressed?

AB: One can learn a lot in a degree program, but the most effective arts education is certainly by doing. I am grateful that I started working fairly early in choir jobs that gave me a lot of insight into the music business, and helped me make connections within the community.

OW: What moved you to pursue the arts?

AB: I wasn’t good at anything else! Just kidding. I couldn’t really see myself doing anything else. I’ve had many “goosebump” moments with great music, and want to keep having more, and share them with audiences.