Welcome to our new Artist’s Page where we will be featuring information about people involved in the Arts. I decided to make this page separate from our Author Page even though writing is an art. The reason for this is clarity. Because we have several authors and their books listed, I want painters, sculptors, singers, musicians, narrators/voice actors, and artisans to have a separate space in This Awful Awesome Life to highlight their talents as we celebrate creativity in every issue. Our Artist Page will include a brief biography, purchase information, and contact information.
Singer/Songwriter/Musician and Teacher- Lisa Reagan
From the day Lisa Reagan climbed up onto the piano bench at the Oklahoma County Fair, her life has been fueled by music. The untrained 3-year-old played an exceptional song by ear. The reaction of the people listening prompted her mother to get her piano lessons.
By age 7, while studying with a graduate student at Oklahoma City University, her playing caught the attention of Professor Dr. Clarence Burg, who was the Dean of the music school and head of the piano department.
He told Mrs. Reagan that Lisa was very talented, which in turn caused Mrs. Reagan to ask if he would take her on as a student. Lisa passed Dr. Burg’s mandatory audition effortlessly and began private lessons with him that same year. She continued her studies with him all the way through college.
Lisa also took early acting training at the historic Mummers Theater in Oklahoma City. At 15 she auditioned to study voice with the tough yet inspiring Professor Florence Birdwell. Among Birdwell’s proteges are Tony Award-winning performers Kristin Chenoweth and Kelli O’Hara. Lisa graduated from Oklahoma City University with a BM in voice and piano performance. Subsequently, she enrolled in the prestigious Opera Studio at the University of Maryland where she earned her master’s degree in Opera and Vocal Performance.
Professionally, Lisa joined the company of Washington National Opera in 1989 and remained there in residence at The Kennedy Center for two decades. While at the WNO, the spinto soprano had the honor of sharing the stage with icons Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti and Renee Fleming, and others. Lisa’s favorite operatic
works include those of Puccini and Verdi (including his Requiem) and Turandot’s “Moon Chorus.” Performing Pagliacci with Placido Domingo is one of her most-loved experiences.
While performing with the Washington National Opera, Lisa gave solo performances for world leaders including King Hussein, Oscar Arias of Costa Rico, Deng Xiaoping, and others, at venues around the world. She sang at special events at The White House for Presidents Reagan and Bush and performed with the Wolf Trap Opera. She also presented a one-woman show of Sondheim classics at the Kennedy Center. Having composed music and recorded since her teens, Lisa’s travels inspired her to explore diverse musical genres which she began to incorporate into her albums.
Having taught piano lessons since junior high, Lisa continues teaching forward – using the skills she has amassed over a lifetime of performance to be a vocal instructor for talented upcoming artists.
For 10 years Lisa was a Professor at the Shenandoah Conservatory of Music. In 2008, she returned to the Wanda Bass School of Music at Oklahoma City University, this time as a teacher. She was invited to perform and teach at the Salzburg Music Festival in Austria in 2013 and 2018. Beginning in May 2022, she taught a Masterclass in acting for opera singers at Accademia dell’Arte in Arezzo, Italy, a position which she reprised in 2023 and will take on again in 2024.
“Teaching voice is an absolute honor for me. It involves more than just physically training the body to become a singing athlete. My role as a teacher is to guide my students beyond their fears and help them find the courage to allow their authentic voices to emerge. The joy of sharing this knowledge and artistry is immeasurable. It allows me the opportunity to witness the growth and transformation of my students as they discover their genuine voice and unleash their full potential.”
In 2021, in a commemoration of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, Lisa performed the role of the Cantor (narrator) in Of Perpetual Solace, composed by Edward Knight and librettist M.J. Alexander, at its world premiere performance. The piece, honoring the people of Oklahoma City and those affected by the attack, was commissioned, and performed by the Canterbury Voices, whose choral artistry was accompanied by the Oklahoma City Philharmonic Orchestra.
Lisa continues to explore new territory. On her most recent release, this October’s album, WHAT WE NEED IS HERE, Lisa composed music to 10 of her favorite classic poems. The poets include Shakespeare, Yeats, Frost, Wordsworth, Keats, Berry, and Bel-Moore. Tony-Award winning, Grammy-nominated, producer/ orchestrator, Jamshied Sharifi, collaborated with Lisa on the project.
Lisa describes the album as a “project of the heart,” recalling, “I started with how the poem made me feel. It was like creating a painting that ‘looked’ how the poem felt. I wanted to set a mood, creating a tonal palette for the words. I was so fortunate to be able to hand my songs to Jamshied for the orchestral arrangements and production. He is not only a brilliant musician, but he also felt the same obligation that I did to honor the poets and their muses.” it was her colleague Jake Johnson, Professor of Musicology at her alma mater, that introduced her to poet Wendell Berry. Berry’s poem, “The Wild Geese,” launched the journey that led to her current album, WHAT WE NEED IS HERE; and a line from that poem became its title.
Lisa’s 2020 album, the award-winning Shunia, features a combination of addictive melodies, ancient chants, and poly-cultural rhythms. The work was honored with a Silver Medal in World Fusion Music at the 2021 COVR Visionary Awards; the single made it into the Top 10 on the New Age Music Guide chart. Her national broadcast debut as a composer came with “A l’infini,” from her album Arcana, which was featured on the Season 1 finale of Bravo’s Project Runway.
Albums by Lisa Reagan:
What We Need is Here
Shunia (Lisa Reagan and Suzanne Johnson)
Realm of Dreams
Noel
Arcana
Lisa’s Albums are available at Stillpoint Records, on Spotify, and Apple Music.
For more information visit her website, www.lisareagan.com