April Amante
Soprano
Bio:
Born and raised in Southern California, Dr. April Amante is a versatile soprano with expertise and facility in repertoire spanning from early music to contemporary musical theater. Her strong musicianship draws her toward contemporary and modern music. Five-time Grammy award winner, John Corigliano (The Ghosts of Versailles, The Red Violin, Symphony No. 2) once described Amante’s singing as “beautiful [with …] a long line and a beautiful sound …”
April made her Carnegie Hall solo debut as Mrs. Sinclair in Eric Whitacre's The Gift of the Magi for the New York City premiere with DCINY in 2022. In 2020 she made her Los Angeles Opera debut as the Solo Soprano Voice and Chorus Soloist in the world premiere of Matthew Aucoin's "Eurydice". She has been the Soprano Soloist for Handel's "Messiah" with the Los Angeles Master Chorale twice (both performed in Walt Disney Concert Hall) and once for the Santa Barbara Choral Society in Hahn Hall at the Music Academy of the West. April sang the Mozart Requiem Soprano Solo with the Angeles Chorale and was one of the Vocal Soloists in Dylan Mattingly's Bakkhai with Jacaranda Music for their 2022 season opener. She was honored to sing with the LA Master Chorale on the 2019 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker soundtrack. April played the role of Mrs. Sinclair in the world premiere of Eric Whitacre's mini-opera "The Gift of the Magi" at Walt Disney Concert Hall at the 2019 Los Angeles Master Chorale's Festival of Carols concert. She has performed and covered mainstage roles with Pittsburgh Festival Opera, Opera San Luis Obispo, Pacific Opera Project, New York City Opera's 'Opera for Kids!', and the Los Angeles Opera Outreach Program. Favorite roles performed include Laurey (Oklahoma), Johanna (Sweeney Todd), Pamina and First Lady (Die Zauberflöte), Frasquita (Carmen), and Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi). She has been a featured soloist with the Opera San Luis Obispo Grand Orchestra in concert at the Vina Robles Amphitheater and Opera San Luis Obispo’s Broadway by the Sea.
In addition to her performance credits, April was selected as a Semifinalist in the Music International Grand Prix Classical Voice Competition (2022), and the Camerata Bardi International Vocal Competition (2021). She was also a Semifinalist in the Loren L. Zachary Opera Competition (2019), the Lyra New York Mozart Vocal Competition 2018 (Opera Category), the James Toland Vocal Arts Competition 2018, and in the 29th International Nuits Lyriques de Marmande Competition 2017 in Marmande, France. She was the winner of the 42nd Annual American Educators of Italian Origin United (AEIOU) Opera Competition in 2012, a finalist in the 36th Annual Carmel Music Society Vocal Competition, and a finalist in the NATS National Musical Theater Competition in 2014.
April holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) from the University of California Santa Barbara in Vocal Performance where she studied with Isabel Bayrakdarian. She received her Master of Music (MM) from the University of Arizona, and her Bachelor of Music (B.M.) magna cum laude from California State University Northridge.
