Liz Pearse
Finding joy in variety, Liz Pearse is a musician of many pursuits. Liz began her exploration of the endless possibilities of the voice after a childhood spent playing any instrument she could lay hands upon.
As a performer, her uniquely colorful and versatile voice has led to performances of wide-ranging works from medieval to modern. Though she is known as a specialist in contemporary vocal repertoire, she also deeply enjoys a well-aged song.
Liz has recently begun a long-term project commissioning and performing works for singer at the piano, and she presents her second full-length recital of such pieces, a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Poulenc’s Le bestiaire featuring newly-commissioned animal portraits, in 2019.
Liz received her DMA in Contemporary Music from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. There, her studies included research on the prevalence and incorporation of contemporary repertoire in the collegiate voice studio, electroacoustic vocal music, and works for self-accompanying singer with her mentor Jane Schoonmaker Rodgers.
Prior to Bowling Green, Liz studied voice at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music with Patricia Stiles, after one year of clarinet study with James Campbell.
Liz has performed around the world at venues including the Lucerne Festival, soundSCAPE Maccagno (where she was voted “Outstanding Performer”), Toronto Electroacoustic Symposium, (le) poisson rouge, Omaha Under the Radar, Kerrytown Concert House, Baldwin Wallace University, and Constellation Chicago.
Her opera credits include Lyric Opera Kansas City, Michigan Opera Theatre, Toledo Opera, and Opera in the Ozarks, in addition to many performances with Indiana University and Bowling Green State University Opera Theatre.
In addition to her solo work, Liz forms one-quarter of Quince Ensemble, a treble quartet dedicated to the creation and performance of contemporary vocal literature.
Quince’s third album, Motherland, was released to critical acclaim by New Focus Records in April 2018, and their fourth album, David Lang’s love fail, will be released soon. Liz also sings with Damselfly Trio, dedicated to contemporary flute/harp/voice repertoire.