Biography
Photo by Tira Howard for the Santa Fe Opera
About the Artist
A musical life
Ashlyn was born in Palm Springs, CA on a hot Autumnal day. Growing up in a musical family, singing has always been a part of her life.
Ashlyn Brown is a lyric-mezzo soprano joining the Palm Beach Opera as a Benenson Young Artist. There, she will sing the roles of Stéphano in Roméo et Juliette as well as Flora in La Traviata. She will also cover the role of Cherubino in their production of Le Nozze di Figaro. Most recently, Ashlyn returned for a second season as an Apprentice Singer with the Santa Fe Opera. There, Ashlyn made her mainstage and professional debut as the Second Noble Orphan in Der Rosenkavalier and Woman 2/ The Event Planner in the world premiere of The Righteous. Additionally, Ashlyn sang in the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Scenes Program on August 18th as Olga in the Eugene Onegin quartet and was later awarded the Donald and Luke Grahm Memorial Award.
Last season, she returned to the Palm Beach Opera for a second season as an Apprentice Artist where she covered La Voix (Les Contes d’Hoffmann) and The Shepherd Boy (Tosca) as well as study-covered Nicklausse (Les Contes d’Hoffmann) and Adalgisa (Norma.) Prior engagements include the Santa Fe Opera (Apprentice Singer,) Palm Beach Opera (Apprentice Artist,) and the Sarasota Opera (Apprentice Artist.) Born in Palm Springs, California, Ashlyn has had roles as Ottavia in L'incoronazione di Poppea, Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, Hansel in Hansel and Gretel, Amastre in Xerxes, Berta in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and Aloès in L’Étoile at the Indiana University Opera Theater. Other performances include Third Lady in the Chicago Summer Opera’s production of Die Zauberflöte and as Mad Margaret in the University Gilbert and Sullivan Society’s Ruddigore. During her Masters of Music at Indiana University- Jacobs School of Music, Ashlyn studied under Carol Vaness.
In the 2023-2024 season, Ashlyn received the Jessica's Voice Encouragement award from the Annapolis Vocal Competition. Other competitions this season include the Palm Springs Opera Guild Vocal Competition (runner-up) and the Pasadena Vocal Competition (semi-finalist.) Last season, she was a finalist in the D’Angelo Young Vocal Competition and was also a semi-finalist in many competitions including the SAS Performing Arts Vocal Competition, Pasadena Vocal Competition, and the Opera Index Vocal Competition. In 2022, Ashlyn performed in many competitions such as the Palm Springs Opera Guild Vocal Competition (runner-up,) Camerata Bardi International Vocal Competition (semi-finalist,) Brava! Opera & James M. Collier Vocal Competition (finalist,) Piccola Opera NH Opera Idol Competition (finalist.) In 2021, her competitions included the James Toland Vocal Arts Competition (semi-finalist,) Pasadena Vocal Competition (finalist,) as well in the Bloomington Chapter’s National Society of Arts and Letters Voice Competition (first place.) In 2020, Ashlyn competed in the James Toland Vocal Arts Competition (Bonnie Bell Encouragement Award.) In 2019, she was recognized by the Illinois District in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Competition (Encouragement Award.) Ashlyn has also done oratorio work as the alto soloist in Mozart’s "Requiem" (2019, Carmel Symphony) (2023, The Church of Bethesda-By-The Sea.) In March she joined the Atlantic Classical Orchestra as the Mezzo soloist in Manuel de Falla's "Three-Cornered Hat: Complete
Ballet."