Hailey Clark is an award-winning operatic soprano who continues to garner praise on the international stage for her signature character portrayals, as well as her versatility in operatic and concert repertoire spanning nearly three centuries.

Upcoming engagements in the 2025/26 season include her debut with San Diego Opera as Nedda in Pagliacci, a return to the Dresdner Philharmonie under the baton of Donald Runnicles as 5. Magd/Schleppträgerin in Strauss' Elektra, "Opera on the River" with St. Croix Valley Opera, a debut as the Soprano Soloist in Mahler's Symphony No. 2 with the Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music Orchestra & Choirs, and her long-anticipated role debut as Mimì in La Bohème with Austin Opera. Clark will also be featured on Decca Classics' upcoming album release of Mahler's Symphony No. 8 as Magna Peccatrix, from performances at The Concertgebouw at Mahler Festival 2025, conducted by Klaus Mäkelä with the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

The recipient of critical acclaim from International publications such as OPERNWELT, The Financial Times, Opernglas, Opera Today, BR Klassik, The Huffington Post, Opera News, Oper! Magazin, the singing actress has made a dynamic and indisputable mark in both Europe and North America throughout her career. Her European debut at the Salzburg State Theater earned her the Österreichischer Musiktheaterpreis (Austrian Music Theater Award) for best interpretation of a female leading role, and OPERNWELT hailed her breakout performance as the title heroine in Fromental Halévy's ambitious Five-Act masterpiece La Juive as “dazzling and powerful,” a production for which OPER! Magazine awarded the company “Opera House of the Year” in Germany in 2020.

Recent appearances have included her debut at Wagner’s Bayreuth Festival as Freia in Das Rheingold, and her return to The Royal Concertgebouw as the Soprano I Soloist (Magna Peccatrix) in Mahler's Symphony No. 8 with the Concertgebouw orchestra, lead by Klaus Mäkelä as a part of Mahler Festival 2025 in Amsterdam and recorded for Decca Classics. In the 24/25 season, she debuted Richard Strauss' Vier Lezte Lieder with the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra in Ankara, Turkey, Violetta in La Traviata with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, and Countess Almaviva in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro with Palm Beach Opera.

Other notable engagements in Europe and North America have included appearances with Oper Stuttgart, Salzburger Landestheater, Staatsoper Hannover, Theater Basel, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Konzerthaus Dortmund, Staatsoper Hamburg, The Royal Concertgebouw, Radio Filharmonisch Orkest (Netherlands), Dresdner Philharmonie, Hessischer-Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester (Frankfurt Symphony Orchestra), Stadttheater Giessen, The Holland Festival (Amsterdam), Music in the Alps Festival (Austria), The Santa Fe Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Central City Opera, Austin Opera, North Carolina Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Opera Naples, Opera on the James, Henderson Symphony Orchestra, The Santa Fe Symphony, Opera Saratoga, and Fort Worth Opera. She performed as a soloist in concert venues across Shangai, Dalian, and Tongliao, China as a winner of the Charles A Lynam Competition, and made her Austrian debut at the Brucknerhaus Linz as a Finalist of the Competizione dell'Opera International Italian repertoire competition.

Her expansive operatic repertoire includes her most-performed role of Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Donna Anna & Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Contessa Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro, Erste Dame in Die Zauberflöte (Mozart), Violetta in La Traviata (Verdi), Title Role in Alcina (Handel), Title Role in La Juive (Halévy), Nedda in Pagliacci (Leoncavallo), Micäela in Carmen (Bizet), Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus (J. Strauss), Gerhilde in Die Walküre (Wagner), Freia in Das Rheingold (Wagner), Anne Trulove inThe Rake’s Progress, Leïla in The Pearl Fishers, Norina in Don Pasquale (Donizetti), Musetta in La bohème, Anna Sørenson in Silent Night (Puts), Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland (Chin), Alma Beers in Brokeback Mountain (Wuorinen). In concert, her touchstone soloist repertoire includes Handel’s Messiah, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, the Brahms Requiem, Mahler's Symphony No. 2 & No. 8, Orff's Carmina Burana, Mozart’s Mass in C Minor and Sibelius’ Op. 70 Luonnotar.

Clark is Assistant Professor of Voice at Vanderbilt University's Blair School of Music in Nashville, Tennessee, where she appears regularly in collaboration and performance with other faculty. She also teaches on summer voice faculty at Opera Viva! young artist training program in Verona, Italy.

She is a highly sought-after clinician and branding consultant for young artists interested in making a career move to Europe, and has worked with students and young professionals across North America, Europe and Asia. In her teaching, she regularly integrates her Alexander Technique training and enthusiastically encourages her students’ exploration across styles and genres. She is a strong advocate for creating inclusive spaces for young singers, and regularly organizes community benefit recitals around local non-profits alongside other collaborative musicians.

She is a two-time District winner of the Metropolitan Opera's Laffont Competition and a winner of the Santa Fe Opera's award for "Outstanding Apprentice." She holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Michigan School of Music and a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Maryland School of Music. She is also a proud alumna of the Freie Universität Berlin's FU-Best program in Berlin. She is an active member of the National Opera Association and The National Association of Teachers of Singing.

In addition to her classical career, the North Carolina native is an active singer-songwriter and pianist, recently releasing her debut folk EP “Sad Girl Songs” across all streaming platforms. Other notable releases include her debut single "Unraveled," and an original children’s song in collaboration with German singer-songwriters entitled "Für dich/For You,” E.P. published by Oh, my music!. A full album of original releases produced in Nashville remains on the horizon.

photo by Eric Melear

Hailey Clark