Tara Wheeker

With spirit and vibrancy, soprano Tara Wheeker brings a versatile voice to the stage. She has been a featured soloist in various concert work including Handel’s Messiah and Haydn’s Creation. On the operatic stage, Tara has performed multiple roles. Her favorites include Valencienne (The Merry Widow), 1st lady (Die Zauberflöte), Saint Marguerite (Joan of Arc at the Stake), and Jessie (Mahagonny Songspeil). She won 1st place at the 2019 New York Lyric Opera Theater vocal competition and was a finalist and 1st runner-up for the prestigious Palm Springs Opera Guild 2018 Vocal Competition.

Tara holds a Master of Music in Voice Performance from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), and a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance and Music Education from CCM. Other training programs include Summer Opera Tel Aviv, OperaWorks Advanced Artist Program, Songfest at Colburn (Schubert fellow), AIMS in Graz, and CCM Spoleto Music Festival. In the past, she has worked with companies such as NANOworks Opera, Indianapolis Opera, Cincinnati Opera, and Cedar Rapids Opera Theater.

Currently based in Chicago, IL, Tara performs in the chorus with Lyric Opera of Chicago. Prior to her Chicago move, she was seen on stage as the 1st lady in Pacific Opera Project’s innovative production of The Magic Flute and performing as a soloist for the Palm Springs Opera Guild’s annual “Opera in the Park” concert.