Bio |Studio & Master Classes | Press & Reviews | Testimonials

Soprano Heidi Klassen is firmly established as one of Canada's most versatile and exciting performers having sung with Canada's leading orchestras and opera companies in a career that spans over 20 years. Internationally Ms. Klassen has sung with the Dallas Symphony, the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra of Budapest, the BBC Scottish Orchestra and BBC Radio and toured extensively in Europe with live recordings at the Rudolfinum in Prague of Verdi's Requiem and Beethoven's Missa Solemnis.

Ms. Klassen's performances have been described as "…unforgettable, rare and serenely beautiful," Brahm's Requiem (London Press); "boundless…a voice of stunning range, clarity and sonority", Verdi's Requiem (Waterloo Reporter) and "one could wait a long time, perhaps forever, to hear expressive singing to equal that of Heidi Klassen," Mozart's Mass in C Minor (Winnipeg Free Press). She has brought many roles to the operatic stage including Fiordiligi in Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte with Montreal Opera, Countess Almaviva in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro with Manitoba Opera, and Opera Saskatchewan, Donna Elvira in Mozart's Don Giovanni with Manitoba Opera, Musetta in Puccini's La Boheme with Edmonton Opera, Opera Lyra Ottawa, Opera Grand Rapids and Opera Saskatchewan. Rosalinde in Strauss' Die Fledermaus, with Edmonton Opera and Opera Lyra Ottawa; Micaela in Bizet's Carmen, with Edmonton Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria, and Gold Coast Opera, Florida, Blanche in Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmelites, and First Lady in Mozart's Die Zauberflote with Vancouver Opera; Miss Jessel in Britten's The Turn of the Screw and Camilla in Nosferatu, with Manitoba Opera, a role written for Ms. Klassen by composer Randolph Peters. Her performance of Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata was described as "moving beyond words, drenched with expressiveness" and "shimmering with sonic tenderness" (London Press).

Highlights of last season were a return to the Kitchener Waterloo Philharmonic to sing Dvorak's Requiem, a return engagement to the Manitoba Opera in the role of Donna Elvira in their production of Mozart's Don Giovanni, the Winnipeg Symphony Pops Concert with Maestro Andrea Boreyko, and a return to WSO singing Villa-Lobos' Bachianas Brasilieras and Rachmaninoff's Vocalise.

Ms. Klassen is also the Founder & Artistic Director of The Opera Project, a company with charitable status whose sole purpose it is to train, promote and remunerate serious young Canadian singers in principal operatic roles to assist their career development. She produced and stage directed TOP's 1997 inaugural productions of Strauss' Die Fledermaus and Puccini's La Boheme, Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte1998, the 2000 Virginia Zeani Master Classes and Gala Concert, the 2001 production at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival, Menotti's Amelia Goes to the Ball and the 2002 production of Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld.TOP presented a brilliant cast in a concert version of Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte at Edmonton's Opera Nuova's 2004 summer festival professional track and this season presents this Cosi cast in The Opera Project's new home, Vancouver.

In reprising the role she sang to great acclaim with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, Ms. Klassen will sing composer Malcolm Forsyth's Evangeline as guest artist of Edmonton's Summer Festival that opens the 2005 Summer Opera Intensive, Nuova.

Ms. Klassen holds a Masters of Music with Distinction from Indiana University where for the past 20 years she has continued to study her roles with, and observe the voice studio of, the legendary soprano Virginia Zeani. She is also in demand internationally as a voice teacher, adjudicator and sustains private voice studios in Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Vancouver. In a career that spans 25 years, Soprano Heidi Klassen, has sung with North America's leading orchestras and opera companies, toured extensively in Europe and recently recorded Verdi's Requiem and Beethoven's Missa Solemnis in the Rudolfinum in Prague.

Her extensive concert repertoire spans a wide range of styles from the intimate Passions and Oratorios of Bach, Handel, Mozart, & Brahms, to the dramatic repertoire of Verdi's Requiem , and Britten's War Requiem. Sung last season with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Villa - Lobos' Bachianas Brasilieras, and Webern's Cantata 2 sung with the BBC Scottish Orchestra, show the versatility of her artistry. Malcolm Forsythe's extraordinary work, Evangeline, debuted in it's entirety with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra in 1997 and mounted again this summer by NUOVA, shows the thrilling heights and depths of her range and passionate interpretation. Descriptions of her performances range from "unforgettable, rare and serenely beautiful" to "boundless… a voice of stunning range, clarity and sonority."

As Founder and Director of The Opera Project, Ms. Klassen has produced and stage directed young professionals in Cosi Fan Tutte, Die Flederamus, La Boheme, Amelia Goes to the Ball, and Orpheus in the Underworld.

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Studio & Master Classes

Ms. Klassen holds a Master of Music Degree with Distinction from Indiana University where she studied with the legendary soprano Virginia Zeani and with whom she continued to work over the span of her career. Ms Klassen acknowledges that it was the greatest privilege of her life to study with one of the greatest acclaimed voices of the 20 century and remaining authorities of Bel Canto.

Over the last 25 years Ms. Klassen has given Master Classes and taught Voice throughout Canada, has held a position as Head of the Voice Department Faculty of Music University of Manitoba, taught as University faculty for a decade, has taught on faculty with Nuova Summer Opera Intensive and continues to teach gifted singers privately.

Ms. Klassen's particular niche is to bring singers to their peak in vocal technique and thus help them find a sure vehicle for their artist's expression. Her teaching continues in the line of Italian Bel Canto in the tradition of Virginia Zeani.

As Founder & Artistic Director of The Opera Project Ms. Klassen has produced and directed 12 seasons of concerts and opera productions throughout Canada. A registered Charity, The Opera Project has a mandate to train & promote singers and further invites singers to the stage to "Create Sounds that Change the World."

Ms. Klassen finds it a great privilege and responsibility, source of energy and joy, to pass on her knowledge and love of singing.

To inqure about Private Study or to participate in Master Classes lead my Ms. Klassen, please contact her directly at klassen.heidi@gmail.com.

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Press & Reviews

"Klassen has a voice of stunning range, clarity, and sonority. Able to peal over the chorus and orchestra, her voice has a wondrous end-of-envelope sparkle. She can tear your heart out in a leaping line. It is simply beyond praise. At the end the others all sit back and get treated to an astonishing stretch of vocal feats going from fortissimo to hushed mid-range and everything in between. Ms. Klassen absolutely triumphed in this diabolical session, with absolute security and gorgeous sound: in a word, thrilling, a fabulous display of vocalism". Verdi’s Requiem – Kitchener/Waterloo – Reporter

"Unforgettable, rare and serenely beautiful." Brahm’s Requiem – Elora Festival

"Some unforgettable moments. Chief among them, Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit, delivered with exquisite warmth and clarity by Klassen, whose gift for making hard German consonants sound serenely beautiful is rarer then most listeners might suspect. It’s not too fanciful to imagine that if Brahms had such a voice at his disposal in the 1860’s as he fashioned the work, there might have been more then one soprano solo in it." Brahm’s Requiem

"Heidi Klassen is always wonderful in boldly-coloured theatrical roles, for which Miss Jessel suited her to manner born. The multifaceted talent of Soprano Heidi Klassen provided an appropriate frightful portrayal of Miss Jessel." Britten’s Turn of the Screw - Opera Canada – World Report

"Klassen, in the complex role of Violetta, drew tears to my eyes in the heartrending Act 3 letter scene and again in her wistful aria. Oh come son mutate . I had to swallow hard to contain my emotions. Her portrayal of the role was moving beyond words, drenched with expressiveness, and shimmering with sonic tenderness. Those of us who heard Klassen sing it consider ourselves privileged. With looks that match her lusty voice it would be wonderful to see her back." Verdi’s La Traviata - London

"One could wait a long time, perhaps forever, to hear expressive singing to equal that of Heidi Klassen." Mozart’s Mass in C Minor – Winnipeg Free Press

"I liked soprano Heidi Klassen as Rosalinde, a magnificent voice with much dramatic power... ...the intensity of her solo pieces was almost overpowering. It was a pleasure to hear her." Strauss’ Die Fledermaus – Ottawa

"A word of praise for Ms. Klassen’s Musetta. She played all 3 parts, buffoon, jilted lover and compassionate penitent, to the hilt, nothing held back. Her riotous exploitation in the café scene was pure delight. I thought she stole the show." La Boheme-Puccini - Michigan

"Her performance of "Quando me’n vo", was one of the finest moments of the evening, a rousing performance of the waltz." Puccini’s La Boheme – Regina

"Heidi Klassen’s Musetta was also outstanding, vocally and theatrically covering a range far beyond the usual camp performance." Puccini’s La Boheme - Charles Pope - Opera Canada

"Heidi Klassen, as the Countess, has a line of seamless beauty." Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro – Winnipeg Free Press

"A remarkably strong cast! (Tracy Dahl, Dean Peterson, John Fanning) The best singing of the evening came from the Countess, Heidi Klassen. Her arias were lovely and dignified, with fine lyrical quality." Le Nozze di Figaro – Mozart - Opera Canada – World Report

"Dyck enlisted the best available. Klassen went far and beyond vocal range into expression, as she was called upon to hit supersonic pitches and deliver them in tune and in keeping with the mood….it would be difficult, near impossible, to find fault with this presentation." Dvork’s Stabat Mater – Reporter

"Having snagged Klassen for the searing Latin soprano role, the conductor deserves a medal. Her capacious sonorities and intrepid phrase-radar combined in this outstanding performance, setting Klassen in every line she sang, into the role of the eternally faithful and artistic pacifist. Klassen’s ability to soar and hover over the tumult was just the voice Britten intended for his message of peace." Britten’s War Requiem - Reporter

"Forsyth has struck a mine with this 65 minute cantata featuring soprano Heidi Klassen in the demanding title role. Evangeline’s heart rending narrative, dramatic and musical content is taut, gripping and multi-dimensional. The performance Tuesday went straight to the heart. Heidi Klassen is such a magnificent communicative singer that one would welcome the chance to enumerate all the roles she would be wonderful in." Forsyth’s Evangeline - Winnipeg Free Press

"Heidi Klassen, soprano, was superb: not only technically spot-on but she has the drama and power to make her arias major events: "Zerfliesse mein Herze", with lovely flutes and bassoon backup, was especially memorable." Bach St John’s Passion – Reporter

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Testimonials

Willy Miles-Grenzberg (Baritone, BMUS) - "There's a strong sense of connection to a great singing tradition in Heidi's teaching. She knows the real goods and she KNOWS how to show it to you."

Heidi Muendel (Dramatic Soprano, MMUS) - “Just when I felt I had nowhere else to turn for guidance with my singing, Ms. Klassen came into my life and unleashed my voice. She facilitated the transition from mezzo to dramatic soprano efficiently and effectively all the while preparing me for the role of Fiordiligi in Cosi fan Tutte within 5 months. The intensity of the lessons, the inspiration, and the vocal foundation found in coaching with Heidi Klassen over the years has served to build my confidence and discover an instrument beyond anything I had imagined. I was always a believer in drama first in singing, but have realized through our work together that when the voice is in alignment the soul can speak and all the emotions and vibrations that long to stir the listening ear are available to us. I am eternally grateful to Heidi Klassen.”

Leanne Page (Soprano) - “Heidi Klassen's teaching of the bel canto technique as was taught to her by Virginia Zeani is a miracle to behold. She learned this technique through years of practical application and constant analysis. Her ability to pass this technique on to singers is unique because she has analyzed it so minutely both in theory and through her own determination to successfully apply it throughout her career. No detail is left unturned and this is what developing singers need. She says you cannot sing without ecstatic joy. This is when the sound exceeds mere acoustics to become a miracle of thought, feeling and of course sheer beauty of singing. During Heidi's master classes, I have watched singers become absolutely connected to their sound which then exceeds itself and is in turn felt by everyone present, including the singer. It is a technique which requires intelligence but demands this ecstatic joy. As a singer new to the studio, I am excited to be learning a technique taught with such passion by a truly compassionate teacher and look forward to many ecstatic moments experienced through my own singing.”

Frederik Robert (Tenor) - “Before meeting Heidi I was experiencing vocal problems that no-one seemed to be able to address. I needed a teacher who was technically competent and a great artist who also understood my spirit. The first time I heard Heidi sing was when I attended her Master Class at NUOVA. Her sound struck the core of my being. Since working vocally with Ms. Klassen I have been the recipient of Foundations and many professional engagements including the touring production of Die Zauberflote with the Winnipeg Symphony, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the National Arts Center Orchestra. Ottawa. Ms Klassen has a deep respect for the life of an Artist and knows what it takes to prepare, create and sustain a career.”

Janel Snider (Soprano) - “Over the past five years under Heidi's guidance and support, my vocal skills have skyrocketed. Using her technique, my sound is grounded and I have total control over my voice. Heidi not only teaches one how to sing, but passes on the skills needed to overcome vocal challenges as they arise. She has fully prepared me to enter the world of professional music, confident that I have the knowledge to succeed. It has been an honor to work with Heidi Klassen."

Kurt Lehmann (Tenor) - “Ms. Klassen has been most instrumental in recognizing the potential in my own voice and also in the development of it. I had the opportunity to be in the first cast of performers in Ms. Klassen’s newly developed The Opera Project Company providing young singers with practical stage experience. Ms. Klassen arranged my first auditions which resulted in immediate offers from the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, The Manitoba Opera and Opera Lyra Ottawa and connected me to my present Management. I have had a full time international performing career ever since, from Carnegie Hall & Dallas Opera to Montreal Opera, Italy and most major opera companies and Orchestras in Canada. Ms. Klassen is not only a gifted performing artist of the highest caliber, she is also a gifted teacher with a deep understanding of the voice and technique, with which she is able to bring forth immediate and outstanding results in her students and a leader in the development of The Opera Project.”

Opera Canada Magazine Debut Artist Kurt Lehmann – “The pivotal point in his vocal development came when he met Canadian Soprano Heidi Klassen. She gave the young tenor a firm pedagogical foundation on which to base his technique, and began to introduce him to the operatic repertoire. This unforced approach to his career has stood Lehmann in good stead.”

Melanie McTaggart (Soprano, BMUS University of British Columbia) - "I thought I knew how to sing before I started taking lessons with Heidi Klassen. Then I started my lessons with her and realized that there was so much more to singing then I thought. Heidi helped me really understand the technical side of singing while bringing out the full color of my voice. I come out of every lesson feeling like I have learned something new and amazing."

Jennifer Ashley (Dramatic Mezzo, Diploma in Jazz Studies, Jazz Guitar, Capilano University) - ”In the 3 years I have studied with Heidi Klassen I have improved dramatically. With her unique technique and approach to teaching, I have learned much quicker with her than with others. Her sensitivity to the music is accompanied by a sensitivity to each individual student making it both a pleasure to learn the music and to work with her.”

Peter Alexander (Baritone) - “When I think back on my journey these past few years I become filled with love, adoration and reverence for the gifts you have imparted!

Bonnie Dodds (Mezzo Soprano) - “I was an experienced singer when I started studying with Heidi. I felt limited in my singing ability. After a short while with Heidi, I realized that I had no vocal limitations. Her teaching approach has given me the technical ability and confidence I need to sing whatever I want to sing. Also...in all my years of observing and participating in master classes. I have never experienced such a positive atmosphere and such remarkable results!”

Melissa Howell (M.Mus, Vocalist/Voice Instructor) - “Soprano Heidi Klassen is a gifted teacher who is extremely technically proficient and knowledgeable but one who also teaches the whole person. I am amazed at the change in my voice through using her techniques, particularly in the area of vocal fatigue. I can now sing for hours with little or no fatigue. I have a thorough understanding of what it means to truly support the voice and achieve resonance. Thank you Heidi!"

Jane Perrett (Soprano) - “I can't tell you enough how grateful I am to be studying the art of singing with Heidi Klassen! She has taught me to sing in a place where there is freedom and spin and crystal in the sound. But more importantly she has taught me to understand how to create this incredible sound with consistency. She is a true inspiration to me!”

Fabiana Katz (Mezzo–Soprano, MMus Choral Conducting Univ. of Cincinnati, Vocalist, Voice Teacher, Conductor) - “Ms. Klassen gave me a new lease on singing! She shook the cobwebs off my old technique and taught me how to really feel what was going on in the throat and mouth mechanism, which is where most tension resides. Her approach to vocal technique is natural, organic and holistic and focused on the release of tension and effortless use of the support mechanism. Ms Klassen is a terrific musician and singer, but she is also smart, witty and extremely perceptive, chief ingredients that make for a fabulous teacher.”

Cara Brown (Soprano, MMus) - “I had just graduated from the University of Western Ontario when I met Heidi Klassen at the NUOVA opera summer intensive in Edmonton where she was teaching. In addition to her technical expertise, Heidi Klassen strives to cultivate a profound level of being in herself and in her students. Since working with her I feel challenged to sing with my authentic voice, and produce sounds and vibrations that will change the world. She balances intense and energetic lessons with a generosity of spirit and offers to her students unwavering support; in singing and in life.

Maura Sharkey (Mezzo Soprano, MMus) - “It was at my first lesson with Ms. Klassen that I knew that this was the woman who knew what it takes to not only draw out my talents, but develop me into a successful and formidable artist. During the 5 years under her guidance my career achievements in competitions, scholarships prizes, and debuts in professional roles are certainly credited to Ms. Klassen’s instructions. Most recently I was the only Western Canadian singer to represent Canada at the Queen Elizabeth Music Competition in Brussels, Belgium where an enthusiastic critic wrote, ”an exuberant Canadian mezzo – soprano… shows herself comfortable in all the registers, bursting precision and engraves resonance.” Singing the title role in Rossini’s Cenerentola with the Vancouver Opera Touring Ensemble, proved my vocal technique and stamina which carried me through the 6 month engagement with 2 shows a day. What I have learned from Ms. Klassen’s studio as well as the experiences I have had with her opera company has inspired my confidence in my own ambition to sustain a career.”

Naomi Dueck Forman (Soprano, MMus Boston) - “Working with you as Amelia in Amelia Goes to the Ball was a wonderful and exciting experience! Your commitment to the show was incredible and you worked so hard to make Amelia the sold –out success it was. You proved yourself to be a fantastic director/producer, and led the cast in another great production. I gained many new and exciting techniques vocally from the year I studied with you. Thank you also for the way you taught me to ‘just sing’…not ‘acting and ‘showing’- just singing. I will always be grateful for your belief in me.”

Melinda Enns (Soprano) - “I have been a student of Ms. Klassen for 6 years. Her input and influence on my musical development has gone far beyond mere technique and interpretation of repertoire. She has used her influence and position as a world class singer to open many doors for me. She has introduced me to various mentors and teachers, arranged auditions and traveled with me to build my confidence. It is out of this passion for her students’ careers that the idea of The Opera Project was conceived and will continue to grow.”

Howard Dyck (Canadian Conductor, Cosi fan Tutte 1998) - “My collaboration with The Opera Project in its debut production of Cosi fan Tutte by Mozart was one of the most satisfying musical experiences in recent memory. The young singers engaged for this production proved to be fully professional and eminently equipped for the task, both vocally and in terms of their prowess on stage. Every one of them has the potential for a significant operatic career. I want to say further what a splendid director we had in Heidi Klassen. Given her vast experience as an opera singer and her innate instincts for the stage, she was able to give wonderful leadership and advice to these young singers. Ms. Klassen was also able to recruit a virtual army of helpers and volunteers as far as sets, costumes, marketing, fund-raising are concerned. In this way The Opera Project was able to introduce a large number of people to the intricacies of mounting an opera production, making this an “apprentice program’ at many levels. I can only hope that The Opera Project will grow and flourish.”

Barrister Heather Dixon (Audience Member, Cosi fan Tutte 1998) - “Nothing prepared me for the outstanding beauty of the opera and the fantastic voices of the cast members. Seated beside me was a friend who had spent several years in Europe. She had attended opera on numerous occasions in Italy and Britain. She had likewise attended many presentations here in Manitoba. She leaned over and told me that this was as good as anything she had ever seen on a Manitoba stage and in fact, could hold its own with most that she had seen in Europe. I had not expected anything near the superb presentation that I saw that evening. The importance of such a project is vital to the arts. Such a program where standards are set high enough to cause the participants to stretch beyond where they have been before, can only serve to raise the standard of the arts. Organizations like The Opera Project can only serve to ensure that the expectations of even the most demanding patron of the arts are not only met, but exceeded”

David Scott (The Manitoba Arts Council - Music and Dance Officer, Cosi fan Tutte 1998) - “I must congratulate you on the artistic success of your production. The entire production was beautifully done... ...the singers worked well together and held the stage admirably. They are obviously on their way to promising careers.”

Professor John Wortley (Audience Member, Amelia Goes to the Ball 2001) - “Words fail me to express how much Sylvia and I enjoyed Amelia Goes to the Ball last Saturday. It was a triumph from every point of view and such a pleasure to behold, that one was truly sorry when it came to an end. I knew when we saw Cosi fan Tutte that you were really on to something with The Opera Project. You have now proved it beyond all shadow of a doubt. I look forward with great anticipation to the next production confident that it will be yet another evening of pure delight.”

Ms. M.L.Kuntzemueller (Audience Member, Orpheus in the Underworld 2001) - “Congratulations are due to the artists, the director, and the supporting staff for the great performance of “Orpheus in the Underworld”. I am glad to have rediscovered TOP and only regret that I missed Amelia Goes to the Ball” Your work with young artists is excellent and deserves to be supported. Keep up the good work!”

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