“Ashley Milanese gave a full-fledged Manon, more convincing dramatically and vocally than any I have seen on international stages. She gave a complete, multi-faceted portrait in sound, eloquently uttered and beautifully voiced.”
Kristen Hoebermann Photography
Hailed for her “masterful and show-stopping performance” (Opera News) , soprano Ashley Milanese recently made her European House debut in the 2018-2019 season with Teatro Regio Torino.
Ms. Milanese recently joined Komische Oper Berin’s touring production of Barrie Kosky’s Die Zauberflöte where she sang Erste Dame in Perth (Western Australia) Adelaide (Australia) and Auckland (New Zealand). In the summer of 2019, she reprised the role in Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival.
The New Orleans, Louisiana native was named 2018 winner of The Opera Foundation competition, receiving the Amber Capitol Scholarship.
Ms. Milanese’s most recent American performances include Fresquita (Carmen), Erste Dame (Die Zauberflöte), and Barbarina (Le Nozze di Figaro) with Opera Philadelphia, and has also participated in summer festivals and programs including Wolf Trap Opera Studio (’17) and Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (’15).
Passionate about contemporary music, Ashley Milanese has collaborated with many composers including Kevin Puts (Elizabeth Cree), Missy Mazzoli (Breaking the Waves), Rene Orth (Mothers of Moses,10 Days in a Madhouse), David Herzberg (The Wake World), Tobias Picker (Emmeline), David T Little (Dog Days), Daniel Schnyder (Charlie Parker’s Yardbird), as well as Nico Muhly (Far Away Songs).
Symphonic performances include operatic selections with the National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic and Mainline Symphony Orchestra, Faure’s Requiem with Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with Allentown Symphony Orchestra.
Ms. Milanese’s previously performed roles include Adina (L’elisir d’amore), Dede (A Quiet Place), Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Eine italienische Sängerin (Capriccio), Manon (Manon), Zerbinetta (Ariadne auf Naxos), Giulia (La scala di seta), Nella (Gianni Schicchi), and Yvette (La Rondine) for her debut with the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in 2015. Other credits include Constance (Dialogues des Carmelites), Sophie (Werther), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Bubikopf (Der Kaiser von Atlantis), Lead Hen (The Cunning Little Vixen), and Gianetta (L’elisir d’amore), among others.
Ashley Milanese studied at The Juilliard School in New York City, and Curtis Institute of Music where she received her Bachelor of Music (‘15), Master of Music (‘17) and her Artistic Diploma (‘18). Ms. Milanese studied under the tutelage of Mikael Eliasen and MArlena Kleinman Malas.