04/10/2026
Meet the first of our two soloists for our Saturday April 18th performance of Mahler's "Resurrection Symphony"....mezzo-soprano Zoie Reams.
Hailed by Opera News for her “velvety mezzo”, Zoie Reams
is a graduate of the prestigious Houston Grand Opera Butler
Studio. She earned her Bachelor of Music at Lawrence
University, and a Master of Music degree from Louisiana State
University.
The 2025-2026 season features an exciting mix of repertoire
for Ms. Reams. She appears with the Lyric Opera of Chicago
twice, in the newly-commissioned A Night of Mellon Collie
and Infinite Sadness, an orchestrated performance of Billy
Corgan and The Smashing Pumpkins’ seminal album, and in
a return to the role of Neris in David MacVicar’s production
of Medea. She also returns to the Canadian Opera Company
as Maddalena in Rigoletto and essays the title role of Carmen
with Piedmont Opera. Her varied concert calendar includes
appearances with: the LA Phil as Siegrune in Act III of Die
Walküre, under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel; the Boston
Symphony Orchestra for Beethoven’s 9th Symphony; the
Northwest Florida Symphony for her first performances of
Mahler’s 2nd Symphony; the Washington National Cathedral
for Handel’s Messiah; Austin Opera for their 40th anniversary
concert, and recitals with Art Song Chicago and Lawrence
University. She concludes the season in a return to Cincinnati
Opera, singing Zipporah in the world premiere of Kevin Day
and Tifara Brown’s Lalovavi. Next season will feature a return
to Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Ms. Reams made multiple returns to Lyric Opera of Chicago last
season as well, opening the season in the role of Maddalena in
Rigoletto, and later appearing as Mother in Tesori/Thompson’s
Blue. With the LA Phil and Performing Arts Houston, she appeared as part of Solange Knowles’ Eldorado
Ballroom, singing Julia Perry’s Stabat Mater, with a further performance during the summer in Houston. Additional
engagements included returns to Washington National Cathedral for Handel’s Messiah, and The Metropolitan Opera
roster to cover Charmian in John Adams’ Antony and Cleopatra.
In the 2023-2024 season, the mezzo-soprano made her debut with Canadian Opera Company, as Neris in Medea,
and returned to Minnesota Opera in a double bill as Dinah in Trouble in Tahiti and Autumn in Service Provider
by Christopher Weiss. She also appeared as the alto soloist in Messiah at the Washington National Cathedral and
returned to the Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago to present a self-curated recital, “Singing of Myself.” In the
summer of 2024, she made her debut at the Salzburg Festival in Sergei Prokofiev’s The Gambler as Doubtful Old
Lady.
Ms. Reams made her anticipated house debut at The Metropolitan Opera in 2021 as Lily in James Robinson’s
acclaimed production of Porgy and Bess. Other highlights of recent seasons include: her house debut at Lyric Opera
of Chicago as Flora in La Traviata followed by Ragonde in Le Comte Ory, conducted by Music Director Enrique
Mazzola; the Mezzo Soloist and Chief’s Daughter #2 in Proximity, a trilogy of new American operas curated by
Renée Fleming and directed by Yuval Sharon; Mandane in Idaspe at the Quantum Theatre in Pittsburgh, created by
Claire van Kampen and the Chatham Baroque Orchestra; the Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd at Austin Opera; her
return to Spoleto Festival for her role debut as Erika in Samuel Barber’s Vanessa; a house debut at Cincinnati Opera
as Jane in the world premiere of Castor and Patience; Maddalena in Rigoletto with Theater Basel; performances
with Des Moines Metro Opera as Margret in Wozzeck, Juno in Rameau’s Platée, and the Beggar Woman in Sweeney
Todd; Opera Columbus as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly; the title role in Carmen at Opera Louisiane, and her role
debut as Nancy in Albert Herring at Minnesota Opera conducted by Dame Jane Glover.
A graduate of the Houston Grand Opera Butler Studio, her performances at HGO include the title role in Damien
Sneed’s Marian Song, Maddalena in Rigoletto, Sister Sophia in The Sound of Music, the Third Secretary in John
Adams’ Nixon in China, the Alto Winged Angel in the world premiere of Jake Heggie’s It’s A Wonderful Life, Cece in
the world premiere of Laura Kaminsky’s Some Light Emerges, Dritte Magde in Elektra, Rosalia in West Side Story,
and soloist in their second annual “Giving Voice” recital, co-hosted by tenor Lawrence Brownlee. As a Company
Member with Minnesota Opera, she performed the title role of Carmen in a new production directed by Denyce
Graves, Dorothée in Joseph Bologne’s The Anonymous Lover, and was a soloist for Ópera Afuera, an outdoor concert
at Allianz Field celebrating Latinx vocal music, as well as Voices United, a choral concert featuring operatic favorites.
On the concert stage, Ms. Reams has sung Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the National Symphony Orchestra,
Bruckner’s Te Deum with the Houston Symphony Orchestra, Tippett’s A Child of Our Time with the New York
Choral Society at Carnegie Hall, Bernstein’s First Symphony, Jeremiah, with the Staatstheater Cottbus Philharmonic
Orchestra, and Handel’s Messiah with the Washington National Cathedral, Las Vegas Philharmonic and the combined
choirs of Auburn University and the New Choral Society of Scarsdale, New York.
Ms. Reams’ awards include second place at Houston Grand Opera’s Eleanor McCollum Competition.
