Elizabeth Asher

Elizabeth Asher (also known as Elizabeth Byrne) is a distinguished classical soprano and faculty member in the Music Conservatory at Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts. She specializes in dramatic soprano roles across Italian, German, French, Spanish, Czech, and Russian repertoires, with a focus on underrepresented female composers. Her career includes leading roles at The Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and international stages like Opernhaus Zurich and Glyndebourne Festival. She has collaborated with renowned conductors such as James Levine and Zubin Mehta.

Education:

• Artist Diploma in Vocal Performance, University of Birmingham School of Music (UK)
• Postgraduate studies, Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester
• National Opera Studio (predecessor of Jette Parker YAP, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden)
• International Opera Studio, Zurich

Teaching Roles:

• Former Voice Faculty, DePaul University School of Music (2009–2017)
• Member, Opera Viva Faculty (2018)
• Regular Voice Instructor, Chicago Summer Opera (2015–present)

Her research interests span vocal techniques, gender representation in opera, and multilingual performance traditions. She advocates for female composers and lesser-known operatic works. Notable achievements include creating roles in James Macmillan’s Ines de Castro and Hugo Weisgall’s Six Characters in Search of an Author.

Awards:

• The Herald Award for outstanding performance (Edinburgh Festival)
• Royal Philharmonic Society award nomination

Ms. Asher’s legacy includes recordings of Respighi’s Lucretia (Bongiovanni) and BBC broadcasts of Siegfried and Ines de Castro. She continues to mentor young artists through opera programs and masterclasses.