LAUREL IRENE

Laurel Irene (previously Laurel Irene Mehaffey) is known for her vocal spectrum, astounding audiences with power and drama, alongside stunning subtleties and clarion intensity. She has performed diverse roles such as Mozart's Queen of the Night, the creation of the title role in Philip Seward's "How To Date a Coloratura", and in choral/orchestral works like Poulenc's "Gloria".  An avid teacher and vocologist, graduate of the Summer Vocology Institute at The National Center for Voice and Speech, she is the co-creator and director of VoiceScienceWorks, www.voicescienceworks.org, a non-profit organization committed to helping vocalists translate challenging, cutting-edge science into immediately applicable language.

Her dedication onstage is mirrored by her experiences backstage as a director and designer. Among her accomplishments are the creation and direction of the operatic tableau "Love and the Fyer" at College of the Holy Cross (Boston), and costume design for over thirty scene productions including Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew" and "As You Like It". She has given collegiate workshops across the country and presentations at the Pan-American Vocology Association, American Choral Director's Association and Acoustical Society of America.

She currently resides in Los Angeles, where she is pursuing an M.M. in Vocal Arts at the University of Southern California while continuing to shape new projects with VoiceScienceWorks, and pursuing an active solo career.  Prior to moving to Los Angeles, Laurel served as vocologist for College of the Holy Cross and on the voice faculty at Bosse School of Music in Boston, worked for Seattle Opera, where she interned for Offenbach's "Tales of Hoffman". In 2013, she graduated from Oregon State University, where she studied with Megan Sand and Richard Poppino.  Laurel made her international debut in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2015, soloing with the Universidad del Salvador orchestra.