Praised for her “sparkle and humor, radiance and magnetism” and hailed for "a voice equally velvety up and down the registers", soprano Laura Heimes is widely regarded as an artist of great versatility, with repertoire ranging from the Renaissance to the 21st century. She has collaborated with many of the leading figures in early music, including Andrew Lawrence King, Julianne Baird, Tempeste di Mare, The King’s Noyse, Paul O’Dette, Chatham Baroque, Apollo’s Fire, The New York Collegium, The Publick Musick, Brandywine Baroque, Trinity Consort, and Piffaro – The Renaissance Band, a group with whom she has toured the United States. Additionally, Ms. Heimes is a member of Fuma Sacra, the early music vocal ensemble-in-residence at Westminster Choir College of Rider University. She has been heard at the Boston, Connecticut and Indianapolis Early Music Festivals, at the Oregon and Philadelphia Bach Festivals under the baton of Helmuth Rilling, at the Carmel Bach Festival under Bruno Weil, and in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, Brazil in concerts of Bach and Handel. With the Philadelphia Orchestra she appeared as Mrs. Nordstrom in Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music. December 2003 marked her Carnegie Hall debut in Handel's Messiah with the Masterwork Chorus.
Highlights of the 2007-08 season will include her Town Hall debut (New York) in Haydn's Harmoniemesse conducted by John Scott; the title role in Handel's Alcina (Astoria, OR), Artemisia in Stradella's Il Trespolo tutore (San Francisco, CA) and Susanna in Stradella’s La Susanna; Rameau's In Convertendo (Portland, OR); Bach's Christmas Oratorio (Pittsburgh, PA and Princeton, NJ), Handel Gloria with New York State Baroque (Ithaca and Syracuse, NY), Bach Cantata 31 (Bethlehem, PA), a program of Buxtehude with Voces Musicales (Berkeley, Palo Alto and San Francisco, CA) and Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate (Rochester, NY). An advocate of contemporary music, she will perform a concert at Temple University featuring the music of Maurice Wright and Nick Rissman. She will also participate in a reading of scenes from Thomas Whitman’s new opera “A Scandal in Bohemia” based on Sherlock Holmes at Swarthmore College. This Fall, she will record several of the works of NYC based composer Peter Flint with the Avian Ensemble.
Repeat engagements with Magnificat, Brandywine Baroque, Le Triomphe de l'Amour and Piffaro will include programs of English and French motets, as well as cantatas by Handel, Buxtehude, Schütz, Strozzi and Monteverdi.
Ms. Heimes’ most recent recordings include Oh! the Sweet Delights of Love: the songs of Purcell with Brandywine Baroque; The Lass with the Delicate Air: English Songs from the London Pleasure Gardens; Handel Duets and Trios (not yet released); The Jane Austen Songbook with Julianne Baird; and Caldara's Il Giuoco del Quadriglio with Julianne Baird and the Queen's Chamber Band conducted by Stephen Altop.
A native of Rochester NY, she holds Master of Music degrees in Choral Conducting and Voice Performance from Temple University. Ms. Heimes has recorded for Dorian, Pro Gloria Musicae, Plectra Music, Sonabilis, and Albany records. She currently teaches voice at Westminster Choir College.
