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discipline = "Mezzo-soprano"
primary_image = "https://res.cloudinary.com/schmopera/image/upload/v1633282613/media/2021/10/NinaYoshidaNelsen_bkyed1.jpg"
primary_image_credit = ""
related_companies = ["scene/companies/sarasota-opera.md", "scene/companies/the-atlanta-opera.md", "scene/companies/utah-opera.md", "scene/companies/houston-grand-opera.md", "scene/companies/the-juilliard-school.md", "scene/companies/portland-opera.md", "scene/companies/seattle-opera.md", "scene/companies/lyric-opera-of-chicago.md", "scene/companies/chicago-opera-theater.md", "scene/companies/boston-lyric-opera-1.md"]
slug = "nina-yoshida-nelsen"
title = "Nina Yoshida Nelsen"
website = "http://www.ninayoshidanelsen.com/"
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Hailed as a “rich voiced, expressive mezzo-soprano” by San Francisco Classical Voice and “appealingly direct and honest in tone and bearing,” by Richard Dyer of the _Boston Globe_, Nina Yoshida Nelsen made her New York City Opera debut with great success as Suzuki in _Madama Butterfly_, conducted by George Manahan.

In the 2021-2022 season Nina Yoshida Nelsen makes her Boston Lyric Opera debut as Mama Lucia in _Cavalleria Rusticana_.  She also makes her Bard Opera debut singing Mother Chen in Huang Ruo’s _An American Soldier_, with performances at Jazz at Lincoln Center.  She then returns to Opera Santa Barbara for a double bill of _El Amor Brujo_ and Frugola in _Il Tabarro_. Nina makes her Chicago Opera Theater debut singing Queen Queen Sophine in Mark Adamo’s Becoming Santa Claus.  In the spring, she sings Mama in Jack Perla’s _An American Dream_ at Kentucky Opera and the Alto Solo in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Rhode Island Philharmonic.  

In the 2019-2020 season Nina Yoshida Nelsen will make her Portland Opera debut as Suzuki in _Madama Butterfly_.  She will also perform the world premiere of _Blood Moon_ at Prototype Festival in New York City. Nina will return to Chicago Lyric Opera to cover Suzuki in _Madama Butterfly_ and will return to the Santa Barbara Symphony to perform Beethoven's Mass in C.  Ms. Nelsen will reprise the role of Khanh in Huang Ruo's _Bound_ at The Juilliard School.

In the 2018-2019 season, Nina made her Lyric Opera Chicago debut as Mama in Jack Perla's _An American Dream_.  She also reprised the same role at Anchorage Opera. Nina returned to Opera Santa Barbara as Tituba in _The Crucible_ and also sang in their 25th Anniversary Gala concert.  

In the 2017-2018 season, Ms. Nelsen returned to Seattle Opera singing the role of Mama in _An American Dream_.  She also made a company debut with Manitoba Opera singing Suzuki in _Madama Butterfly_.  She performed Mahler's _Songs of a Wayfarer_ with the Grand Junction and Flagstaff Symphony Orchestras and returned to both the Santa Barbara and Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestras to perform the alto solos in Mozart's _Requiem_.

In the 2016-2017 season, Nina returned to the Santa Barbara Symphony as the Alto Soloist in Beethoven Symphony #9 and debuted with the Guelph Symphony Orchestra as the Mezzo Soloist in the Verdi _Requiem_. In the 2014-2015 season, Nina was thrilled to return to Utah Opera to perform Suzuki in _Madama Butterfly_. She then made her debut singing the same role with The Atlanta Opera.  She also sang Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the Southwest Florida Symphony. Nina made her Seattle Opera mainstage debut summer 2015 singing the role of Mama in the world premier of _An American Dream_.

In the 2013-2014 season, Ms. Nelsen returned to Houston Grand Opera to sing Khanh in the world premiere of Huang Ruo's new opera _Bound_. Nina and also returned to Opera Santa Barbara  where she made a role debut singing the Secretary in Menotti's _The Consul_.  Ms Nelsen made her role debut in Verdi's _Requiem_ with the Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra and, with and her husband hornist Jeff Nelsen, she performed their pops show on Mother's Day 2014, "Dancing and Romancing" with the Peoria Symphony Orchestra. 

In the 2012-2013 season, Nina Yoshida Nelsen sang Suzuki in _Madama Butterfly_ with the Phoenicia International Festival of the Voice and Opera Santa Barbara. She also made her Nashville Symphony debut singing Handel’s _Messiah_. In spring 2013, Ms. Nelsen performed in the world premiere of _Memory Stone_, a chamber opera at Houston Grand Opera and and returned to Carnegie Hall to sing the alto solo in Beethoven’s Symphony #9.

In the 2011-2012 season, Nina Yoshida Nelsen made her debut with Sarasota Opera singing Suzuki in _Madama Butterfly_ and she also made her Avery Fisher Hall debut singing Mother in _Amahl and the Night Visitors_. Ms. Nelsen was also seen as the Mezzo Soloist in Mozart’s _Coronation Mass_ with the Santa Barbara Symphony.

In the 2010-2011 season Nina was seen as the Mezzo Soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony #9 with the Santa Fe Concert Association, as the Mezzo Soloist in Mozart’s _Coronation Mass_ with the Peoria Symphony and made her European debut singing Suzuki in _Madama Butterfly_ at Royal Albert Hall in London, England.

Nina made an important debut at Utah Opera in March of 2009, singing Cherubino in _Le nozze di Figaro_. The mezzo-soprano is the recipient of a 2008 Encouragement Award from the Gerda Lissner Vocal Competition. In 2006, Ms. Nelsen was a National Semi-Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She is a 2009 graduate of the Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA) in Philadelphia, where she studied with Bill Schuman. At AVA, her roles included: Alisa in _Lucia di Lammermoor_, Smeton in _Anna Bolena_, Dorabella in _Così fan tutte_, Kabanicha in _Katya Kabanova_, Annina in _La traviata_, Larina in _Eugene Onegin_, and Erika in _Vanessa_.

Other noteworthy recent engagements include: Stéphano in Roméo _et Juliette_ with Opera New Jersey, Rebecca Nurse in The Crucible with Utah Festival Opera, the title role in _Carmen_ and the role of Antonia’s Mother in _Les contes d’Hoffmann_ with Komische Kammeroper of Munich, and Kate Pinkerton in _Madama Butterfly_ with Opera Santa Barbara.

Nina Yoshida Nelsen spent the 2004-2005 season as an Artist-In-Residence with Orange County Opera, where she performed the role of the Marquise de Berkenfeld in _La fille du régiment_ in their educational outreach program. Ms. Nelsen made her debut with Opera Providence in 2002 as Tisbe in _La cenerentola_, and subsequently appeared with the company as Dorabella in their English version of _Così fan tutte_.

Other notable roles include Idamante in _Idomeneo_, Hermia in _A Midsummer Night’s Dream_, and Lulu in Lukas Foss’ _The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County_, all of which she performed with the Opera Institute at Boston University.

In 2005, Ms. Nelsen was a National Finalist in the prestigious Loren L. Zachary Society Vocal Competition, and she was also a National Finalist in the 2006 and 2008 Jensen Foundation Vocal Competition. In 2004, Ms. Nelsen won first prize in the Performing Arts Foundation Vocal Competition, the Profant Foundation Vocal Competition and the Santa Barbara Foundation Vocal Competition.

Nina makes her home in Bloomington, Indiana, where she lives with her husband Jeff and their sons Rhys and Blair.