Lisa Gerstenkorn
Contralto
Praised for her genuine stage presence and signature low notes, contralto Lisa Marie Gerstenkorn is an active and enthusiastic performer and educator of varied vocal genres.
Born and raised in the Kansas City and Southeast Kansas areas, she is currently a Full-time Principal Vocal Artist performing and teaching with Heartland Sings in Fort Wayne, IN.
Concert and Chamber Music Performances
As a concert soloist, Lisa performed alto solos in Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, and Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater with Heartland Sings under the direction of Robert Nance.
An early music enthusiast, she performed roles and partial roles with the Amherst Early Music Festival (Rossi’s Orfeo), Haymarket Summer Opera (Cavalli’s La Didone), and the Baroque Opera Workshop in Queens (Cavalli’s L’ercole amante) These performances gave her the opportunity to work individually with Baroque scholars Julianne Baird, Drew Minter, Craig Trompeter, and Christa Patton. As a Resident Artist in Nova Scotia, Canada, she performed the role of Arnalta in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea with the Halifax Summer Opera Festival.
For three seasons Lisa was a featured soloist with the Southeast Kansas Symphony under the direction of Dr. Raúl Antonio Munguía where she sang at their Holiday Extravaganza concerts, and their very popular Rock to Bach concert - performing covers of Stevie Nicks and Melissa Etheridge songs with orchestral arrangements.
Additional chamber/ orchestra performances include alto soloist with the Taneycomo Festival Orchestra in Beethoven’s Fantasia in C Minor, alto soloist with the Bartlesville Choral Society in Handel’s Messiah, and three years touring as the alto soloist with the Mosaic Vocal Ensemble. She has also enjoyed chamber performances of Bach’s alto arias from BWV 6, 22, 33, 79, and Brahms’ Op. 21.
With the Berwick Chorus of the Oregon Bach Festival, she helped premiere Richard Danielpour’s Passion of Yeshua (2018) under the baton of JoAnn Falletta, and performed in Mendelssohn’s Elijah, conducted by John Nelson.
Opera Roles Performed
On the operatic stage, Lisa was honored to perform the role of famous chef Julia Child in Hoiby’s one-woman opera Bon Appétit! (Heartland Opera Theatre)
She premiered two lead roles in new operas: the role of Mezzo in Bonnie McLarty’s opera Snow Angel (Lawrence Opera Theatre, 2019) and the role of Louise McPhetridge Thaden in Lisa DeSpain and Rachel J. Peters’ Staggerwing (Opera Kansas, 2021)
Lisa performed the role of Zita in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi on tour in Spain and Portugal with the American Opera Studio, a company she sang with for nine years while she was based in Kansas. She was a Filstrup Resident Artist with the Tulsa Opera for two seasons, and sang with their professional opera chorus in eighteen different operas during her 11 years with the company. She also performed as a Resident Artist with the College Light Opera Company and the Ohio Light Opera.
Interested in new concept productions, Lisa has enjoyed less traditional performances in roles as Sarastra in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (Lawrence Opera Theatre), Leporella in Mozart’s Don Giovanni (Classical Arts, Inc.) and Queen Balthazar in Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors (Music on Site.)
Additional operatic roles include Ursule in Berlioz’ Béatrice et Bénédict (Landlocked Opera), Miss Todd in Menotti’s The Old Maid and the Thief (Heartland Opera Theatre), Ruth in Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance (Opera Kansas) La Zia Principessa in Puccini’s Suor Angelica (Music on Site), and The Mother in Paulus’ The Three Hermits (Heartland Sings).
Additional Stage and Teaching Experience
A performer of varied genres, Lisa also had the opportunity to perform the musical theater roles of Glinda (Wizard of Oz), Grace Farrell (Annie), Mary Magdalene (Jesus Christ, Superstar), Edith Frank (Yours, Anne) and the title role in Evita.
During the summer months traveling with the Heartland Sings ART-V stage, she sings music of the jazz, pop, country, and musical theater realms. Some of her favorite popular artists to sing are Adele, Carole King, Patsy Cline, Bonnie Raitt, Judy Garland, Julie London, and Karen Carpenter.
Lisa is a current member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and enjoys teaching voice lessons to students of all ages. Before relocating to Fort Wayne, IN to perform and teach with Heartland Sings, she taught a full private Voice Studio in Kansas and Missouri and simultaneously held positions as Adjunct Voice Instructor at Pittsburg State University and Missouri Southern State University.
Couldn’t Hear Nobody Pray/ Standing in the Need of Prayer
(duet with Ian Williams, bass-baritone)
He Was Despised (Messiah)
Flight (duet with Natalie Young)