Soprano Olivia Doig is a Chicago native, and is excited to be performing for the first time with Haymarket Opera Company. She completed her Master’s in Vocal Performance at Florida State University in 2016 and received a Bachelor’s degree from Wheaton College (IL) in 2014. Previous roles including Poppea (L’incoronazione di Poppea), Gabriel (Haydn’s Creation), Anne Truelove (The Rake’s Progress), Daphne (Handel’s Apollo e Daphne), Laurie (The Tender Land), Mabel (The Pirates of Penzance), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), and Gretel (Hansel and Gretel). Most recently, Ms. Doig spent the summer of 2017 performing in six productions with Ohio Light Opera, including the role of Josephine in H.M.S. Pinafore. She has also trained and performed with Opera in the Ozarks, OperaWorks, the Kunming Opera Festival in Kunming, China, and the Schubert-Institut in Baden, Austria. She has received awards from the Chicago Bel Canto Foundation, the Orpheus Voice Competition, the Chicago Italian Cultural Center, the Tallahassee Music Guild, the Grandquist Music Festival, and the Illinois and Chicago National Association of Teachers of Singing chapters.
What is the story of how you first came to love music and opera?
I first came to love opera performing in children’s choruses at the Lyric Opera of Chicago when I was in elementary school. I was enthralled by the way in which musical storytelling added a layer of emotional depth to the action on stage.
What is the biggest challenge you face as an artist?
It’s hard to choose one, but currently one of my greatest challenges is figuring out how to be honest emotionally and remain present and engaged within the prolonged dramatic pacing of opera.
Do you have a favorite performer?
Not one, but a couple performers I love are Elly Ameling, Barbara Bonney, Audra McDonald, and Dawn Upshaw.
Do you have a favorite role? Aria? Opera?
My favorite role as a performer has been as Anne Truelove in The Rake’s Progress. My favorite aria is “Et Incarnatus est” from Mozart’s Mass in C Minor. And my favorite opera is Der Rosenkavalier.
Do you have any favorite books about music?
I loved reading The Inner Voice by Renee Fleming.
What else are you reading?
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson.
Who are your favorite 17th- and 18th- century composers?
Bach, Mozart, Lully, and Gluck.
If you were stranded on a desert island, is there one piece of music you would like to have with you?
Hmm... if it’s a recording, then probably Strauss’ Four Last Songs. If it’s a score, then maybe the Saint Matthew Passion. I love the piece but have never performed it, and so I haven’t had a chance to really study it. Delving into it would be fun.
What do you love about HOC?
I love the commitment HOC has to exposing audiences to repertoire which is rarely performed. I am very excited to be able to be a part of the modern-day premiere of an opera that hasn’t been performed since 1696!
Do you have a favorite memory from a past HOC event?
My favorite HOC production was La Calisto.
What is your favorite thing to do when you’re not making music?
I love to bake, especially pies.
What is the first thing you think about in the morning?
Coffee!
Do you have any heroes/heroines?
My mother is my greatest hero as a woman, and my grandfather is my greatest hero as a musician.
What music do you listen to most often?
I’m listening to a lot of operetta and early musical theater because of my performing schedule.
If you had not entered into your current career what do you think you would have done instead?
I probably would have gone to law school. I love debate, and -- as strange as it may sound -- one of my life goals is to get called for jury duty.