Loretta Giles - Mezzo-Soprano

Loretta Giles’ performing career spans opera, Broadway, symphony, oratorio, concerts, television, radio, and recording. She has performed both nationally and abroad, receiving critical acclaim as a singing actress. Her operatic credits include performances of the concert version of “Porgy & Bess”, with Detroit Symphony, Binghamton Symphony, and Augusta Symphony. Coached by the legendary Todd Duncan (original Porgy), critics praised Ms. Giles as “…a realistic and lyrically beautiful Bess…Her ‘My Man’s Gone Now’ may well prove to be the week’s highlights.” (Worcester Telegram). Other performances include Carmen in Carmen, the Composer in Ariadne auf Naxos, Musetta in La Boheme, Aida (concert version) in Aida, Cherubino in Marriage of Figaro, Dorabella  in Cosi Fan Tutte, Cenerentola  in La Cenerentola, Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, Madame de Croissy in Dialogues of the Carmalites , Matroiska in Prokofiev’s War & Peace, Maddalena  in Rigoletto, Hansel in Hansel & Gretel, Mercedes in Carmen,  Zazà in Leoncavallo’s Zazà, Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana, Inez in Il Trovatore, the Squirrel in L’Enfant et les sortilege, 2nd Lady in Die Zauberflöte, Strawberry Woman in Porgy & Bess, and The Mother in The Consul.

Her Broadway and musical theater credits include Sophisticated Ladies starring Gregory Hines, a national tour of Yul Brenner’s The King & I, and Houston Grand Opera’s Porgy & Bess. She was featured off-Broadway in the West Indian musical, Calalou with Teresa Merritt, Children of the Sun (book based on Neffertiti), and Tessa in the Gondoliers. She co-hosted the weekly television variety show in Boston, Mass., CLUB 44 (WGBH) which was nominated for an Emmy Award. 

Her Jazz and Pop repertoire won her the Bronze Prize for the United States in a World Song Festival, hosted by Seoul, Korea. She also recorded a highly acclaimed song, written for her, produced by Ebony Records of The Ivory Coast, and dedicated to the memory of Steve Biko. An ardent supporter of educational programs, Ms. Giles has written, produced and performed in federally funded programs, providing an interactive performing experience for thousands of children for grades K-12.  She narrated a nationally-syndicated children’s radio program, The Spider’s Web, and was one of three national finalists selected by Penn State in 1992 to perform her “Spanish & African–American Musical Heritage” program in their Concert Series. Loretta has appeared as guest soloist in numerous oratorios, chamber, and symphonic works, here and abroad, and has performed extensively in Germany.

After receiving her BM and MM in vocal Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music, Ms. Giles continued to augment her skills and development through apprenticeships with Santa Fe Opera in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Wolf Trap Opera in Vienna, VA and the Metropolitan Opera Studio in New York, NY, which provided her with performances in many roles and opera galas, both nationally and abroad. As a private voice teacher, with a studio located in Northern Virginia, Ms. Giles won the “Northern Virginia Opera Guild’s 2004 Teacher of the Year Award”. She also served as a Professor of Voice at Coppin State University in Baltimore , MD.

Loretta also collaborated with William K. Brehm to co-author a publication of operatic arias, set to religious text. During the past five years she produced six audio recordings (CD’s), spanning operatic repertoire, pop vocal standards, classical piano, etc. Presently, she is producing her own solo pop CD, as well as a solo classical CD.

In 2007, she was a featured performer in EUBIE, produced by the Olney Theater in Olney, MD. Upcoming performances include Washington Opera’s performances of Porgy & Bess in March 2010 at the Kennedy Center.