photo by Eric Melear

​Hailey Clark

Hailey Clark is an award-winning operatic soprano who continues to garner praise on the international stage for her signature character portrayals, as well as her versatility in operatic and concert repertoire spanning nearly three centuries. 

The winner of the Austrian Music Theater Prize for Best Female in a Leading Role (Alma Beers in Brokeback Mountain by Charles Wuorinen, The Salzburg State Theater), she has made a dynamic mark in both Europe and North America throughout her career. Recent appearances have included her debut at Wagner’s Bayreuth Festival as Freia in Das Rheingold, Nedda in Pagliacci with Austin Opera, Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus with Central City Opera, Gerhilde in Die Walküre with the Dresden Philharmonic, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte with Palm Beach Opera, and a return to her breakout role of Rachel in La Juive at the Hannover State Opera in Germany, which OPERNWELT hailed as “dazzling and powerful,” and for which OPER! magazine awarded the company “Opera House of the Year” in 2020.

Upcoming engagements in 2024/25 include debuts of Richard Strauss' Vier Lezte Lieder with the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra in Ankara, Turkey, and her debut at The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

Other engagements in Europe and North America have included appearances with Oper Stuttgart, Salzburger Landestheater, Staatsoper Hannover, Theater Basel, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Konzerthaus Dortmund, Staatsoper Hamburg, Stadttheater Giessen, Music in the Alps Festival, The Santa Fe Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Central City Opera, Austin Opera, North Carolina Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Opera Naples, Opera on the James, Henderson Symphony Orchestra, The Santa Fe Symphony, Opera Saratoga, and Fort Worth Opera. She performed as a soloist in concert venues across Shangai, Dalian, and Tongliao, China as a winner of the Charles A Lynam Competition, and made her Austrian debut at the Brucknerhaus Linz as a Finalist of the Competizione dell'Opera International Italian repertoire competition.

Her operatic repertoire spans Mozart heroines to French Grand Opera to new music written by living composers, notably: Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, Donna Anna/Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Erste Dame in Die Zauberflöte, Title Role in Alcina, Title Role in La Juive, Micäela in Carmen, Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus), Anne Trulove inThe Rake’s Progress, Leïla in The Pearl Fishers, Musetta in La bohème, Anna Sørenson in Silent Night,  Alma Beers in Brokeback Mountain. In concert, her touchstone soloist repertoire includes Handel’s Messiah, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, the Brahms Requiem, Orff's Carmina Burana, Mozart’s Mass in C Minor and Sibelius’ Op. 70 Luonnotar.

In addition to her classical career, the North Carolina native is an active singer-songwriter and pianist, recently releasing her debut folk EP “Sad Girl Songs” across all streaming platforms. Future releases include an original children’s song in collaboration with German singer-songwriters entitled "Für dich/For You,” published by Oh, my music!, and a full album release of original songs on the horizon in 2025.

Clark is a highly sought-after clinician and branding consultant for young artists interested in making a career move to Europe, and has worked with the students and young artists at Vanderbilt University, The University of Michigan, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, The University of Texas at Austin, The University of Central Oklahoma, Meredith College, Palm Beach Opera, Central City Opera, The Basel International School in Switzerland, Florida Grand Opera, and the Seagle Festival. 

In her teaching, she regularly integrates her Alexander Technique training and enthusiastically encourages her students’ exploration across styles and genres. She is a strong advocate for creating inclusive spaces for young artists and is a co-founder of the inaugural DEI Taskforce at the Seagle Festival as an alumna and honoree of the program. She is also an active recitalist and regularly organizes community benefit recitals around local non-profits alongside other collaborative musicians.

She is a two-time District winner of the Metropolitan Opera's Laffont Competition and a winner of the Santa Fe Opera's award for "Outstanding Apprentice." She holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Michigan School of Music and a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Maryland School of Music.  She is also a proud alumna of the Freie Universität Berlin's FU-Best program in Berlin.