Soprano Ilah Raleigh’s talent for languages and passion for other cultures have propelled her into a career in opera and recital. Having originally studied and then performed as a mezzo-soprano with such notable opera companies as Washington National Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, and Orlando Opera, Ms. Raleigh is poised to make the transition to soprano. A recent graduate of Orlando Opera’s Resident Artist program, Ms. Raleigh looks forward to performing in new venues in the United States and Europe. In Winter and Spring of 2008, Ms. Raleigh plans to perform a vibrant recital program of Spanish, French, and Italian songs in Florida and Minnesota.

As one of four Resident Artists with Orlando Opera this past year, Ilah Raleigh was a favorite of audiences as Edith in Pirates of Penzance and Kate Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly, both at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center, and Paquette in Candide at the Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts. Ms. Raleigh shared the stage with the Orlando Philharmonic in multiple Young People Concerts, which exposed Orlando school children to classical music and dance, and in the Grande Masque 2006: An Evening in Venice, the annual New Year's Eve celebration at the Gaylord Palms Hotel featuring the Orlando Opera, the Orlando Philharmonic, and the Orlando Ballet. In addition, Ilah Raleigh was a featured performer with the Vero Beach Opera, Monticello Opera House, Chipola College Artist Series, Celebration Concert Series, Daytona Symphony Guild, the Orlando Opera Guild, and the Mt. Dora Yacht Club.

Ilah Raleigh toured extensively across the state of Florida with “Opera Orlando on Tour.” She shared her love and enthusiasm for the art of opera with thousands of school children performing the roles of Second Lady and Papagena in The Mini Magic Flute and Ruth, the Major General, and Edith in Pirates!, a condensed version of the Pirates of Penzance. Ms. Raleigh also sang, danced and acted in Passion, Power and Peril, a dynamic show comprised of opera and musical theater solos and ensembles that was a favorite with opera lovers throughout Central Florida.

A natural performer and engaging actress, Ms. Raleigh’s stage credits range from gullible young men (Don Ettore in Haydn’s La Canterina) to temperamental divas (Musico in Donizetti’s Le convenienze teatrali) to strong matriarchs (Zita in Gianni Schicchi and La Cayetana, in Rio de Mujeres). She has appeared with a variety of opera companies in the Washington D.C./Baltimore area including Opera Theater of Northern Virginia, Ignoti dei Opera, and the Municipal Opera Company of Baltimore.

In recital, Ms. Raleigh is a passionate supporter of African-American, Latin American, and Spanish composers. She has performed several recitals in the Midwest and Mid- Atlantic regions, including Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. In Maryland, she has performing on the Music at Noon Series at the Academy Art Museum in Easton, Maryland and two performance series in Baltimore, Maryland: An die Musik Live! Concert Series, and Peabody Conservatory’s Thursday Noon Recital Series.

A native of Minneapolis, MN, Ilah Raleigh studied Italian language, culture and history in Milan, Italy, from 1998 to 2000, where the Italian mezzo-soprano Giulietta Simionato accepted Ms. Raleigh as a private student. She holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the Peabody Conservatory and graduated Phi Beta Kappa in Italian Studies (BA) from the University of Minnesota.