Layla Claire

Acclaimed for the rich color and flexibility of her voice and for her elegant stage presence, Canadian soprano Layla Claire enjoys international success in opera, concert, and recital. At her Metropolitan Opera debut in Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s Don Carlo, she was still a member of the Lindemann Young Artists Development Program. Since then, she has been invited back to the Metropolitan stage on numerous occasions. Layla Claire has established a solid reputation as an interpreter of Mozart and Handel. She made her Handel operatic debut singing the role of Tusnelda in Arminio at the Karlsruhe Handelfestspiele, with George Petrou and the Armonia Atenea Orchestra; this recording was released by Decca Classics. Ms. Claire also appears on a Virgin Classics DVD, playing the role of Helena (which she originated) in the Metropolitan Opera’s baroque pastiche The Enchanted Island, conducted by William Christie.

An expressive and accomplished concert singer, Ms. Claire has performed under the direction of Bernard Haitink, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, James Levine, Michael Tilson Thomas, Kent Nagano, and many others. A prominent figure on the international recital scene, she has performed art song programs at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the CBC’s Glenn Gould Studio, in addition to touring across Canada as a winner of the Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition. Layla Claire currently divides her time between Canada and Europe with her partner John and their daughter Matilda.