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Mezzo-soprano Lisa van der Ploeg has captivated audiences world-wide with her rich, lustrous sound and electrifying stage presence.

 

Born in California, Lisa grew up in Denmark before returning to the U.S. where she was encouraged to pursue studies in classical voice. One of her first professional appearances included performances with Maestro Raymond Leppard and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in the Barber of Seville and the Three Cornered Hat. She made her West Coast debut with the San Francisco Opera Center/Merola Program in the title role of Carmen, which she went on to tour nationally with the Western Opera Theater.

 

Since then, Lisa has become renown for her remarkable versatility which is evident from a mere glance at her roster of performances of over 45 operatic roles that span a great variety of characters from other gypsies like Azucena in Il Trovatore, to Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors to princess Amneris in Aida and everything in between including forlorn ladies such as Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana and, especially...witches, including Katisha in The Mikado and Rosina Daintymouth in Hansel and Gretel, just to name a few.

 

Her extensive concert repertoire is equally diverse. Highlights include Mahler’s 3rd Symphony, Verdi’s Requiem, Bach B-minor Mass, Handel’s Messiah, Dvorak’s Stabat Mater, and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. A favorite of the West and Midwest regions, Lisa has performed with Utah Festival Opera, Tulsa Symphony, Dayton Philharmonic, Indianapolis Symphony, Stockton Symphony, San Francisco Opera Center, and Intermountain Opera among many others, working with conductors including Benjamin Zander, Daniel Hege, and Neal Gittleman, who described the Mahler Rückert Lieder as “tailor made for the richness of Lisa van der Ploeg’s voice and the intelligence of her singing.”

 

Upon sending their twin-boys off to college, Lisa and her husband moved their “empty-nest” from California to the Mid-West where she was inspired to share her talents in a new way.

 

In spring of 2021, Lisa opened “The Heart of Your Voice” yoga studio.  Combining her vast performance and vocal teaching experience with yoga, Lisa developed a technique that provides her students with a thrilling new path to vocal freedom by helping them to overcome "perfection paralysis"  as they discover the heart of their voice.