Asian American mezzo-soprano Miya Higashiyama (pronounced Mee-ya)  is currently residing in the Chicago area where she recently graduated Northwestern University ('22) with a Master of Music degree under the tutelage of Theresa Brancaccio. She was most recently seen at Lyric Opera of Chicago as Molly Brown in Lyric Unlimited's The Scorpions' Sting by Dean Burry and also spent the summer in the city as the mezzo-soprano fellow in Grant Park Music Festival's Inclusion Fellowship. 

Previously she was an Apprentice Artist with Des Moines Metro Opera as part of their 50th season where she sang Moth in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Dorabella/Cenerentola in scenes. 

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This season Miya makes her Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Music of the Baroque debut as a chorister, competes in the NATS Musical Theatre/Metropolitan Opera Laffont competitions, returns to Grant Park Music Festival for their fall gala to sing with soprano Taylor Adams, and finishes the season with de Falla's "El Amor Brujo" with the Olympia Symphony back in her home state of Washington. 

 

While at Northwestern, she sang Rachel in the Midwest premiere of Jake Heggie's If I Were You, La Messagiera in Monteverdi's L'Orfeo (as a remote project due to COVID-19), Orlofsky (u/s) in Die Fledermaus, and scenes from Cosi fan tutte as Dorabella. This past November, Miya won an encouragement award from the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition (Wisconsin District) and placed in the top fourteen as a national semi-finalist in the NATS Classical Voice Competition in the Advanced Classical Treble category July 2021. Miya completed her Bachelor of Music at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington where she sang operatic roles such as Ruggiero (Alcina), Rosina (The Barber of Seville), Public Opinion (Orpheus in the Underworld), Hansel (Hansel and Gretel), and Zita (Gianni Schicchi).  In 2016 Miya was one of four participants featured in the Joyce DiDonato Carnegie Hall masterclasses streamed worldwide on Medici.tv and now available to watch on Youtube.​

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Miya is also well versed in musical theatre repertoire/belting technique and has sung musical theatre roles and songs on stage, in concert, and in masterclass. A versatile performer, Miya enjoys singing and producing jazz, pop music, electronic mixing and more, all of which can be found on her social media and the "media' section of this website.

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When she is not singing, Miya enjoys water color and acrylic painting, coffee (like a true Seattle native!), makeup, and film.