Raised in New York City, Amy Elizabeth Wheeler graduated from the Fiorello LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and received her bachelor degree in voice from the Manhattan School of Music. Her career began with the MGM film "Fame", followed by a European tour of the Broadway musical “Hair” performing the role of Crissy. She made her operatic debut in 1990 with the Warsaw Chamber Opera as Fauno in Mozart’s Ascanio in Alba, and toured with the company throughout Europe performing Mozart roles such as Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro), Blondchen (Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail), and Ismene (Mitridate re di Ponto). She was also featured as Cupid in the WCO’s premier of John Blow’s Venus and Adonis, where she began her collaboration with renaissance lutenist Jaroslaw Lipski performing concerts in Poland’s early music festivals as well as recording and producing their critically acclaimed CD of English lute songs titled What Thing Is Love (Peregrine Records). The duo was showcased by the Gotham Early Music Scene at the APAP conference in NYC in 2009.
From 1994-2001, Ms. Wheeler performed regularly with orchestras at international festivals such as the "Madrid Mozart Festival", the "49th International Chopin Festival", "Le Festival d’Europe du Nord", and appeared as Damon in Handel’s Acis & Galetea broadcast live for Polish National Television. In 1998, she established the Peregrine Consort comprised of artists and musicians from the Drottningholm Court Theater, Warsaw Chamber Opera, Concerto Copenhagen and the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra. The ensemble debuted with a performance of Alessandro Scarlatti's Stabat Mater at Poland's National Philharmonic and went on to perform at the International Wratisalvia Cantans Festival, the Bach 2000 Celebration at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, and the prestigious 100th anniversary season at Poland's National Philharmonic. Highlights from concert programs arranged by Ms.Wheeler include Baldessare Galuppi’s motet Confitebor tibi, Domine, Songs & Duets from the English renaissance, as well as semi-staged versions of G.F. Handel's Amarilli Vezzosa and Alessandro Scarlatti’s serenata A battaglia pensieri.
In Gothenburg, Sweden, Ms. Wheeler is the Artistic Director for Den Sjungande Julgranen (the Singing Christmas Tree) a popular out-door Christmas production which has been presented annually by "Julstaden Göteborg" since 2004. Additionally, she has performed as a soloist with the Bohus Operan and in collaboration with members of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in performances of The Ugly Duckling, scored by Jon Deak for soprano, double bass and string quartet. Concerts were presented by the Gothenburg Konserthus, the Bohus Opera Summer Festival, and the Backa Theater. The Ugly Duckling was also presented by American Opera Projects in New York City in collaboration with Julliard alumni and broadcast live on WNYC radio (1996).
Ms. Wheeler has collaborated with Swedish contemporary composer Jan Alm and The Martinson Project, an ensemble focused on performing Alm’s Martinson Songs set to the poems of Harry Martinson and scored for voice, piano, harp and string quartet. The ensemble was comprised of musicians from the GSO and debuted in the Gothenburg Konserthuset's Chamber Music Series performing the premier of Alm's Martinson Songs. More performances followed including the inaugural concert for the newly renovated chamber hall at Poland's National Philharmonic (2004). The program titled “Scandinaviana”, featured songs and chamber music by Grieg, Nielsen, Sibelius and Stenhammar and was presented in collaboration with the Swedish Embassy in Warsaw and sponsored by Volvo, SEBanken and the Swedish Institute.
Most recently, Ms. Wheeler gave a masterclass on Scandianvian song interpretation as well as performing Seymour Barab's "Songs of perfect propriety" set to poems by Dorothy Parker, with pianist Kristie Born at Stetson School of Music in Orlando, Florida. A recording of Barab's "Songs of perfect propriety" is currently in the works.
In addition to her work on stage, Ms. Wheeler regularly works from her own studio writing, recording and producing vocal tracks for film and television placements as well as for other producers. Her recordings have been placed in both TV documentaries and feature films.
Ms. Wheeler's prizes and awards include: First Prize in a concerto competition at the 92nd St. Y, New York City (1986), The Fund, a Rockefeller /Kennedy Foundation award for her work as a U.S. artist at international festivals (2000), and a Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation award supporting her research on 18th Century Venetian composer Baldessare Galuppi (2004).
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