BIOGRAPHY

Soprano Lisa Buhelos has been praised for her “high-pitched virtuosity” (News-Gazette) and her “soaring” and “supple” voice (San Diego Story). A native of Chicago, she is known for her vibrant stage presence and dynamic portrayals of high-energy, comedic characters.

Lisa has performed with opera companies across the country. With Opera NEO, she sang Despina in Così fan tutte, where she was described as projecting “an aptly sly, manipulative confidence” (San Diego Story). She has spent two seasons as a Festival Artist with Opera Saratoga, appearing in A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (Woman 3, Phoebe D’Ysquith cover), Man of La Mancha (Aldonza cover), and Don Quixote at Camacho’s Wedding (Quiteria), and performing as Bebe Barbelle in Katie: The Strongest of the Strong. As a Gate City Bank Young Artist with Fargo-Moorhead Opera, she performed Musetta in La bohème, where she was described as “captivating,” “vivacious,” and “irresistible” (Inform). She also premiered the role of Trish in Everything Comes to a Head. A crossover performer, she frequently collaborates with Nathan and Julie Gunn in their concert series, A Stroll Down Broadway with Nathan Gunn.
This summer, she will join Opera Festival of Chicago’s summer season, performing in both La bohème and Adriana Lecouvreur.

Lisa holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance and Literature from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Reviews

Around the Town Chicago

"And what would a performance be without Leonard Bernstein’s “Glitter and Be Gay” from “Candide”—featuring Buhelos in solo? All the thumping and bouncing plus the way she hit the high note made even the conductor applaud. I loved the way the audience yelled, “Bravo!” well before the end of the evening. What a show stopping number!"