Bharati soman

director of operations

SOPRANO

BHARATI SOMAN, has been praised for her “lovely, ornamented soprano” and “silken renderings of Mozart’s legato arias.”  Opera credits include Mimì (La Bohème), and the title roles in Semele and Madame Butterfly with Pocket Opera, Hanna Glawari (The Merry Widow – Livermore Valley Opera), the Countess (The Marriage of Figaro – Cinnabar Theater), and Zerlina (Don Giovanni – Sacramento Opera. 

As a concert soloist, Bharati has performed works with Choralis, San Francisco Sinfonietta, the UC Davis Symphony, and given recitals for Oakland Lyric Opera.  She is a past winner of the San Francisco Sinfonietta Messiah Competition and the East Bay Opera League Young Artists Scholarship Awards Competition. 

In addition to performing, Bharati was on the voice faculty at UC Davis for three years, and currently teaches privately in Falls Church, VA.

nicole lamm

artistic director

SOPRANO

NICOLE LAMM, soprano, received her Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance at Catholic University of America while studying with Sharon Christman.  She has performed throughout the Washington, DC Metropolitan area, San Francisco, Hawaii, and New York City as well as internationally in Italy, France, Canada, and Puerto Rico with companies including Opera Roanoke, Maryland Opera Society, New York Opera Society, Bay Area Summer Opera Theatre Institute, Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, Summer Opera Theatre, and La Fabbrica. 

Nicole’s operatic repertoire includes Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Adina (L’elisir d’amore), Mimì (La Bohème) Laurie (The Tender Land), Monica (The Medium), and Rosasharn (The Grapes of Wrath Suite). 

Nicole has been in Sopranessence (formerly 7 Sopranos^®) since its inception in 2007.  In addition to performing, Nicole teaches voice lessons and musical theatre workshops.

maggie ramsey

director of communications & outreach

MEZZO-SOPRANO

MAGGIE RAMSEY, mezzo-soprano, most recently performed the role of Demetrius in Shakespeare Opera Theatre’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Previous principal roles include Woman #2 and the role of Liz (cover) in the professional premiere of “Sweets by Kate” with Marble City Opera, Sandman in “Hansel and Gretel,” Silver Dollar in “The Ballad of Baby Doe” and Giovanna in “Rigoletto,” Third Lady in “Die Zauberflöte” and Medea in the world premiere of Larry Delinger’s “Medea.” Maggie also enjoys singing with D.C. Metro Opera On Tap. She lives in Alexandria, VA.

RUTH LOCKER

PIANIST

Award-winning pianist Ruth Locker made her debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony at age 13.  The Pittsburgh Concert Society, Carnegie Awards, Passamaneck Award, Garrigues Award, and Obenshain Award are but few of the honors she has received.  After graduating from Carnegie Mellon University, Ruth began a career of diverse performances including solo recitals, concertos, and chamber music.  As a collaborative pianist, Ruth continues working frequently with both vocalists and instrumentalists.

Ruth’s multifaceted career remains quite active.  Most recently, she has concertized in Boston, Washington State, and Oregon.  She has been fortunate to have worked regularly in the voice studios of Todd Duncan and George Gibson, and as a frequent performer with The Potomac Valley Opera Company.  Ruth has recorded on the Amerimusic, Incorporated recording label.

kathleen allen

soprano

Soprano KATHLEEN ALLEN has been singing and teaching professionally throughout the United States for 35 years, in opera, operetta, recital and musical theater, and in concert, chamber, and choral music. Educated at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Peabody Conservatory of Music, she received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Vocal Performance from Wisconsin in 2004.

Dr. Allen was a professor at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam (2004-2008) and Auburn University in Alabama (2008-2012).  Most recently she was an Associate Professor of Music, coordinating the Voice Area, directing the Opera Workshop, and finishing as Chair of the Department of Fine and Performing Arts at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, from 2013-2022. Favorite Performances include Fiordiligi in Cosi fan Tutte, Second Prioress in Dialogues of the Carmelites, Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire and Boulez’s Le Marteau sans Maître both for the Johnstone Foundation for New Music concert series in Columbus, OH, and Ravel’s Shéhérazade.

Dr. Allen moved to the DMV area in 2022 to sing, direct musicals, maintain a private studio, and to be near family. She made her debut with  Sopranessence in May 2023.

emily davis

soprano

EMILY DAVIS, soprano, grew up singing with her dad and uncles in their local band and recording studio, and participating in community theatre. She studied vocal performance at the University of Connecticut. After college, she served for five years as a worship leader for a church in Sterling, VA until stepping away from the workforce entirely to be at home with her now seven children. She currently serves at church in a volunteer capacity, and teaches choir classes at her kids’ homeschool co-op. And, now that all her kids are sleeping through the night, she
is delighted to join the divas at Sopranessence.

kaley harman

soprano

KALEY HARMAN, soprano, is an active singer and administrator in the DC area. She has most recently appeared in Annapolis Opera’s productions of La bohème, Lost in the Stars, and The Magic Flute (Chorus) and Workhouse Performing Arts’ production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Rosa Bud).

She is the first-place winner of the MD-DC and Mid-Atlantic Region NATS Student Auditions, in which she was also a National Semifinalist. As a Resident Artist with Opera North in the summer of 2019, she sang such roles as Kate in Pirates of Penzance, Johanna in Sweeney Todd, and Drusilla in L’Incoronazione di Poppea. Additional previous roles include Phyllis in Iolanthe, Despina in Così fan tutte, and Adele in Die Fledermaus. Last summer, Kaley sang the role of Lady in Waiting in Verdi’s Macbeth with Shakespeare Opera Theatre.

Kaley is a graduate of Penn State University and the Eastman School of Music. She is currently Coordinator, Leadership Giving at Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts and studies with Elizabeth Daniels.

hannah leeper

soprano

Hannah Leeper, soprano, is an emerging opera and classical singer in the DC Metro. She
received her Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance/Opera from the University of North
Texas in 2019, and her Bachelor of Arts in Music degree from Luther College in 2017. Hannah’s
roles with UNT Opera, Luther College Opera Theatre, and the La Musica Lirica Opera Program
in Italy include the titular role in Lucia di Lammermoor, Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi), Erste Dame (Die Zauberflöte), Musetta (La bohème), Nannetta (Falstaff), Casilda (The Gondoliers), and
Valencienne (The Merry Widow – cover). In addition, she has performed opera scenes including Violetta Valery (La traviata), Vitellia (La clemenza di Tito), Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro),
Cunégonde (Candide), and Laurie (The Tender Land). She also performed the musical theater
role of Éponine (Les Misérables) with New Minowa Players Theater in Decorah, Iowa.

While at Luther College, Hannah competed for and was awarded the David Greedy Voice Scholarship; and she was the inaugural recipient of the Jones Opera Scholarship. At UNT, she received the Cecilia Cunningham Box Voice Scholarship and Travel Grants for various competitions and auditions. In 2018, Hannah was named a Semi-Finalist in the Mildred Miller International Voice Competition with Pittsburgh Festival Opera. Then in 2019, she traveled to NYC to compete in the Violetta DuPont International Voice Competition. Now based in the DMV as of Summer 2020, Hannah has been active in the performance community through professional section leader and soloist positions at numerous churches, choral ensembles, and recitals.

zoe-elizabeth mccray

soprano

Hailing from Alexandria, VA, ZOE-ELIZABETH MCCRAY is a soprano residing in the DC area.  Zoe-Elizabeth has recently been appointed Music Director of the Georgetown Gilbert and Sullivan Society at Georgetown Law School in Washington, DC. She is a Musical Theatre Professor in the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts at Howard University in Washington, DC. Zoe-Elizabeth is a Teaching Artist-in-Residence with the Washington Performing Arts Society via their Capital Arts DC Partnership. She can be heard singing every Sunday at St. Paul’s Rock Creek Parish in Washington, DC, as section leader and soloist. She also runs a small private virtual voice studio.

She received her Bachelor of Music from James Madison University, studying with Grammy Award-winning Baritone Kevin McMillan.  Zoe-Elizabeth is currently a member of the Elizabeth Daniels voice studio in Silver Spring, MD.

allysa packard

soprano

ALLYSA PACKARD is a marvelous soprano, having performed around the globe. Her passion for music has led her to collaborate with choirs, operas, and study programs worldwide, showcasing her versatile talent. Recent highlights include performances at the 2023 International Education Forum and soprano soloist in Handel’s Messiah and chorus member in several productions with the Washington Concert Opera. She also portrayed the title role in the US premiere of La Pauvre Eugénie in 2022.

Allysa‘s repertoire spans opera and musical theater, portraying iconic characters like Belle and Marian the Librarian. Noteworthy opera roles include the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro, Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus, and Madame Lidoine in Dialogues des Carmelites. She has received awards such as third place in the Dorothy Lincoln-Smith Competition NSAL DC chapter and recognition as an Outstanding Senior and two-time USU Concerto Competition winner.

Allysa holds a Master’s in Music from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor’s in Vocal Performance from Utah State University. Alongside her singing career, she teaches music and plays the piano, sharing her passion and expertise with aspiring musicians. Her commitment to music education is evident in her dedication to nurturing talent and spreading the joy of music.

jenna stein

soprano

JENNA ROSE STEIN has two decades of experience performing professionally in recorded and live formats. She is an accomplished singer, specializing in Opera and Musical Theatre.

After graduating from Sarah Lawrence College, where she studied Theatre, Music, Dance and mathematics, she trained and performed with the American Center for Puccini Studies, The Shakespeare Opera Theater, and the Sienna Summer Session for Music and the Arts. Some of her favorite roles include Susan B. Anthony in The Moment was Now (Cultural Wokrer Ensemble), Bianca/Desdemona* in Othello (Shakespeare Opera Theatre), and Maguelonne in Cendrillon (American Center for Puccini Studies). She has most recently appeared as Dot in HONK! (Sterling Playmakers). She has also sung multiple roles in professional staged concerts with StageCoach Theatre, Shakespeare Opera Theatre and Sopranessence.

When not performing on stage, Jenna Rose introduces toddlers to many styles of music as a Music Together teacher, and records her own vocals as a professional Voice Over Artist and Audiobook Narrator.