Raised in New York City, Amy Elizabeth Wheeler began her formal training as a young dancer with the American Ballet Theater. She later shiftedfocus to study music and singing, and 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 filmFame,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 Entführung 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. They performed numerous concerts at early music festivals in Poland as well as recording and producing their critically acclaimed CD of English lute songs titledWhat Thing Is Love(Peregrine Records). Last seen, the duo was showcased by the Gotham Early Music Scene at the APAP conference in NYC in 2009.From 1994-2001, Amy 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 Poland’s National Television. In 1998, she formed the Peregrine Consort a consortium 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 Materat 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 researched and arranged by Amy include Baldessare Galuppi’s motet Confitebor tibi, Domine,Songs & Duets from the English renaissance, and semi-staged versions of G.F. Handel's Amarilli Vezzosaand Alessandro Scarlatti’s serenata A battaglia pensieri.In Gothenburg, Sweden, Amy works as an artist, producer, and artistic director. As artist/producer she has collaborated with members of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in performances of The Ugly Duckling(in Swedish translation), scored by Jon Deak for soprano, double bass and string quartet. Concerts were presented by the Gothenburg Konserthus’s family concert series, the Bohus Opera Summer Festival, and the Backa Theater. Her production of The Ugly Ducklingwas first presented by American Opera Projects in New York City in AOP’s First Night concert series.Further projects with members of the GSO include collaboration with Swedish contemporary composer Jan Alm and“The Martinson Project”, an ensemble focused on performing Alm’s Martinson Songsset to the poems of Harry Martinson and scored for voice, piano, harp and string quartet. The ensemble performed the debut performance of the Martinson Songsin the Gothenburg Konserthuset’s Chamber Music series and later were presented by Poland's National Philharmonic in a program titled “Scandinaviana”. The program featured the Martinson Songsas well as 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.Amy introduced the production idea of a singing Christmas tree to the city of Gothenburg in 2004 as a part of their annual event Julstaden Göteborg (Christmas in Gothenburg) and was hired as the production’s artistic director. Since then Den Sjungande Julgranen(the Singing Christmas Tree) has become a mainstay of the city’s Christmas festivities. In 2015, she was invited to direct a similar production, theDet sjungande sjömärket(the singing seamark) at the Volvo Ocean Race finish-line which featured a program of international sea songs performed Brunnsbo Musikklasser (grades 4-6) and the Gothenburg Boys Choir (Göteborgs Gosskör) . Amy has become increasingly active in Gothenburg’s theatrical choir scene assisting with choreography, stage directing, and running workshops. In 1998, Amy startedPeregrine Records, Productions & Managementto provide an organisation to support her production and recording projects. She collaborates with artists and producers to develop stage production ideas, workshops and recording projects.Working from her studio, Amy writes, records and produces vocal tracks for film and television placements as well as for other producers. She is signed with several music publishers and production libraries and her recordings have been placed in both TV documentaries and feature films. AWARDS: Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation award supporting her research on 18th Century Venetian composer Baldessare Galuppi (2004/5)The Fund, a Rockefeller/Kennedy Foundation award for her work as a U.S. artist at international festivals (2000).First Prize in the 92nd St. Y's Symphonic Workshop concerto competition for young artists, performing Mozart's "Exultate Jubilate" conducted by Yaccov Bergman at Kaufmann Concert Hall, NYC (1986). Most recent:Director / Choreographer for Eric Whitcacre’s epic choral work “Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine” - With Göteborgs Ungdomskör (The Gothenburg Youth Choir) conducted by Anne JohanssonSongs of Perfect Propriety, with pianist Kristie Born, poems by Dorothy Parker set to music by Seymour Barab, on the Peregrine Records label.
Raised in New York City, Amy Elizabeth Wheeler began her formal training as a young dancer with the American Ballet Theater. She later shifted herfocus to studying music and 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 Entführung 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 titledWhat Thing Is Love(Peregrine Records). Last seen, 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 Consortcomprised 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 Materat 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 Vezzosaand Alessandro Scarlatti’s serenata A battaglia pensieri.In Gothenburg, Sweden, Amy works as an artist, producer, and artistic director. As artist/producer she has collaborated with members of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in performances of The Ugly Duckling(in Swedish translation), scored by Jon Deak for soprano, double bass and string quartet. Concerts were presented by the Gothenburg Konserthus’s family concert series, the Bohus Opera Summer Festival, and the Backa Theater. Her production of The Ugly Ducklingwas first presented by American Opera Projects in New York City in AOP’s First Night concert series.Further projects with members of the GSO include collaboration with Swedish contemporary composer Jan Alm and“The Martinson Project”, an ensemble focused on performing Alm’s Martinson Songsset to the poems of Harry Martinson and scored for voice, piano, harp and string quartet. The ensemble performed the debut performance of the Martinson Songsin the Gothenburg Konserthuset’s Chamber Music series and later were presented by Poland's National Philharmonic in a program titled “Scandinaviana”. The program featured the Martinson Songsas well as 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.Amy introduced the production idea of a singing Christmas tree to the city of Gothenburg in 2004 as a part of their annual event Julstaden Göteborg (Christmas in Gothenburg) and was hired as the production’s artistic director. Since then Den Sjungande Julgranen(the Singing Christmas Tree) has become a mainstay of the city’s Christmas festivities. In 2015, she was invited to direct a similar production, theDet sjungande sjömärket(the singing seamark) at the Volvo Ocean Race finish-line which featured a program of international sea songs performed Brunnsbo Musikklasser (grades 4-6) and the Gothenburg Boys Choir. Amy has become increasingly active in Gothenburg’s theatrical choir scene assisting with choreography, stage directing and running workshops. In 1998, Amy startedPeregrine Records, Productions & Managementto provide an orginization to support her production and recording projects. She collaborates with artists and producers to develop stage production ideas, workshops and recording projects.Working from her studio, Amy writes, records and produces vocal tracks for film and television placements as well as for other producers. She is signed with several music publishers and production libraries and her recordings have been placed in both TV documentaries and feature films. AWARDS: Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation award supporting her research on 18th Century Venetian composer Baldessare Galuppi (2004/5)The Fund, a Rockefeller/Kennedy Foundation award for her work as a U.S. artist at international festivals (2000).First Prize in the 92nd St. Y's Symphonic Workshop concerto competition for young artists, performing Mozart's "Exultate Jubilate" conducted by Yaccov Bergman at Kaufmann Concert Hall (1986). Most recent:Songs of Perfect Propriety, with pianist Kristie Born, poems by Dorothy Parker set to music by Seymour Barab, on the Peregrine Records label.
Director / Choreographer for Eric Whitcacre’s epic choral work “Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine” - With Göteborgs Ungdomskör (The Gothenburg Youth Choir) Conducted by Anne Johansson