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Lisa Edwards-Burrs, soprano

Lisa Edwards-Burrs received her B.M. and M.M. degrees in Vocal Performance from Virginia Commonwealth University. An accomplished lyric soprano, her performances in recital, oratorio, and chamber music are extensive. Her operatic roles include Blanche in Dialogues of the Carmelites, Monica in The Medium, Mariane in Tartuffe, Despina in CosÏ fan Tutte, Madame Altina in La Divina, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Treemonisha in Treemonisha, Adina in L'Elisir D'Amore, and Poppea in L'Incoronazione di Poppea, as well as partial roles of Gilda in Rigoletto, Mimi in La Bohéme, Clara in Porgy and Bess, Sister Angelica in Suor Angelica, Violetta in La Traviata, Pamina in Die Zauberflüte and Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos.
Ms. Edwards-Burrs has performed on several occasions with many regional orchestras in Virginia and the District of Columbia. Several of her performances have been broadcast on public radio, most notably, a concert performance of Jaromir Weinberger's The Way to Emmaus and a live nationwide broadcast of an Independence Day celebration concert with conductor Keith Brion (of John Philip Sousa fame). She also has several world premieres of contemporary music to her credit in addition to her art song and operatic repertoire. As an avid performer of the works of African-American composers, these concerts and recitals have been met with critical acclaim.

As a featured guest artist on several concert series, she has appeared at Fayetteville State University (Artist-in-Residence), Georgia State University, University of Richmond, Christopher-Newport University, Virginia State University and Virginia Commonwealth University, as well as the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Petersburg International Festival of Music. She has appeared in concert at New Yorkís St. Patrickís Cathedral and in Las Vegas with the Southern Nevada Musical Arts Society. Ms. Edwards-Burrs is the founder and artistic director of BELLISSIMA!, an operatic ensemble as well as the chamber ensemble, Black, Brown & Beige, featuring flutist Leslie Savoy Burrs and pianist Russell Wilson.

She has been a Semi-Finalist in several international vocal competitions, such as the Young Concert Artists International Competition, the Center for Contemporary Opera's International Voice Competition, the Washington International Competition for Voice and was the Second-Place Prize-Winner at the national level (1992) of the National Association of Teachers of Singing Artist Award Competition for Voice. In 1997, Ms. Edwards-Burrs was the prize-winning silver medallist in the American Traditions Vocal Competition of Savannah! Onstage.
She has performed recitals in Caux, Switzerland at the International Conference of Moral Re-Armament and, as one of only twelve singers chosen from nationwide auditions in 1994 by the United States Information Agency, served as an Artistic Ambassador for the United States ( the first time vocalists were considered). The result of this honor was a five-week concert tour of South America with pianist Melanie Day in which she gave 16 concerts, conducted master classes and made several television appearances. Regarding her performances, South American embassy representatives wrote: "The power of Ms. Edwards-Burrs's voice combined with the interpretive strength of her delivery caused more than one audience member to comment on how the music had moved them."

In 2002, Ms. Edwards-Burrs had the privilege of performing for the Inaugural Prayer Service of Virginia Governor Mark Warner, and was chosen by Richmond Magazine to be the recipient of the Outstanding Vocalist Award for 2001-2002. She has recorded a compact disc entitled ìWhat Songs Were Sungî with Lynne Abbey-Lee, former harpist with the Colorado Symphony, and is featured as soloist on two compact disc recordings on the Pro Organo label: ìWith Thanks and Praiseî and îDraw Us in the Spirit's Tetherî. Ms. Edwards-Burrs is on the music faculty of Virginia State University.