Biography

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   A passionate musical talent, soprano Nancy Pifer brings sensitivity, as well as blazing, idiomatic characterization to her performances. Performing frequently with the Chicago Symphony, Ms. Pifer has sung roles in Berlioz’s Les Troyens (Zubin Mehta) and Richard Strauss’ Elektra (Daniel Barenboim) in Chicago, and at Carnegie Hall. Locally, she has performed with the orchestras of Indianapolis (Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder/ Raymond Leppard), Omaha (Beethoven’s 9th Symphony), and Quad Cities (Verdi’s Requiem). With Chicago’s Civic Orchestra, she’s sung Beethoven’s Egmont (Lawrence Foster), and, to critical acclaim, Act I of Wagner’s Die Walküre, with Jay Friedman conducting. 

   With Maestro Friedman and the symphony of Oak Park and River Forest, Ms. Pifer has presented concerts featuring selections from Wagner’s “Die Walküre”, “Götterdämmerung”, “Lohengrin” and “Tristan und Isolde”. Other highlights with OPRF include Mahler’s 2nd and 8th symphonies, selections from Strauss’ “Der Rosenkavalier” and Poulenc’s Gloria.

   Ms. Pifer is a winner of the Friedrich Schorr Memorial Prize in Voice and is a recipient of the prestigious Scholl Career Grant. She was an apprentice at the Sarasota Opera, and she has participated in “Art of Singing Wagner”, a program held for young singers at Bayreuth, Germany. She has studied voice with Margaret Harshaw, Jan Hendrik Rootering and Theresa Brancaccio Hansen. In 2013 Ms. Pifer earned a Masters degree in voice with an emphasis in vocal pedagogy.