Tara Priolo is known to most as ‘your resident white-facing biracial multi-passionate musician.’ She is, among other things: a soprano, brand coach, voice teacher, activist/diversity counselor, and arts administrator. In all spaces, she brings a commitment to vulnerability, equality & equity, and a penchant for starting and facilitating hard conversations.
Tara’s voice; as a singer, speaker, and writer, is her most powerful and sought after asset, as Kristine Denton West says “when you sing, people listen.” She uses her voice to tell not only her own story, but also to uncover the untold and ignored stories of under-represented classical composers. Fittingly, in 2022, Tara made her debut in the Minnesota Opera Chorus in their first show back after the pandemic, The Anonymous Lover by Joseph Bologne. She was slated to perform in their production Voices United, which was a unique all chorus offering including works by Scott Joplin and other rarely performed repertoire before it was canceled due to COVID.
She has performed with the social justice-driven opera company An Opera Theatre as Cherubino as part of an educational outreach program and in Journey North Opera Company’s Changing the Narrative, a production centered around women taking back their power in an industry full of misogyny. Tara’s soprano voice is known for its wide range, brilliance, flexibility, and warmth, which will be showcased on her album Soliloquy: A Collection of 10 songs by Black composers.
She is an experienced performer previously heard as: Minerva in Mixed Precipitation’s adaption of Monteverdi’s The Odyssey, a soloist for Exultate Chamber Choir and Vox Nova, a self-produced recitalist, and a performer with Opera on Tap, Summit TC, and Thursday Musical.
Tara’s work doesn’t end on the stage; she is also the owner/operator of Tara Priolo Studio, which includes teaching voice, piano, and coaching brand clients. Through client-led, goal-oriented lessons and coachings Tara Priolo Method seeks to meet people exactly where they are & release the entanglements they’ve placed on their voices - spoken, sung, written, or in the online space. In her own endeavors online, Tara has grown 1000+ followers in under a year, opened the door to antiracist work for many, and cultivated a safe, supportive, and free online community.
Tara is active as an arts administrator & social media marketing in Minneapolis. She is Co-Managing Diva of Opera on Tap-Twin Cities, Operations Manager of Thursday Musical, Diversity Consultant for Opera Reading Project’s IDEA Fellowship, and Social Media Marketer for LadySlipper Ensemble and administrative assistant for Out of the Box Opera. She serves on several boards including OOPS Minnesota and previously Thursday Musical & Journey North Opera Company. She successfully juggles all the obligations above in addition to raising two dogs, Millie and Moose, with her husband, Ross. She holds a MM in Vocal Performance from University of Minnesota – Duluth (2015) and a BA in Vocal Performance from Luther College (2013). Currently, she studies with mezzo-soprano Victoria Vargas and coach Eric McEnaney.