Soprano Tina Beverly is a Chicago native and performs frequently in the Chicagoland area. Her 2008 engagements include performing a full recital for the annual gala of the American Opera Society of Chicago in April, a benefit concert at Wheaton College for Renk Medical Clinic in Sudan, and the title role of Esther in Handel's first oratorio with the Callipygian Players on Baroque instruments in February. While a member of the world renowned Lyric Opera Center for American Artists (now the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center) during Lyric Opera's 50th season, Tina made her Lyric debut in The Cunning Little Vixen, covered several roles, including Muffin (the bride) in the world premiere of William Bolcom's opera, A Wedding; Woglinde and the Forest Bird in Wagner's Rheingold, Götterdämmerung, and Siegfried; and performed Zerbinetta's showpiece from Richard Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos with orchestra under Sir Andrew Davis in the Rising Stars concert to rave reviews.
Her earliest memory of singing dates back to accompanying Barry Manilow and the Bee Gees on eight-tracks in the backseat of her parents' car. At age six, she was further inspired after her parents brought her to see the musical Annie at The Schubert Theater. Shortly thereafter, she began singing in the children's choir at her church, where the director took note and further developed her musical studies by teaching her piano. She continued to sing throughout high school, beginning private lessons her sophomore year and finishing her senior year portraying Maria in The Sound of Music, her Dad's favorite role even to this day.
Tina performed a leading role every year while at DePauw University (Despina, Adele, Queen of the Night) and three leading roles in graduate school (Countess Adele/Count Ory; Tytania/Midsummer Night's Dream; Clarice/World of the Moon) at Boston University. When not in school, she performed leading roles at Brevard Music Center for two summers, the Aspen Music Festival (portraying Olympia/Contes d'Hoffman in both summer programs), and was a fellowship recipient at the Bach Aria Festival in Stony Brook, where her love of Bach blossomed. After her formal training, she performed Adina/L'elisir d'amore at the Rome Opera Festival in Italy and completed an apprenticeship with Indianapolis Opera, performing Gretel/Hansel and Gretel and Marie/Daughter of the Regiment in abridged productions for school audiences. She also portrayed Nella/Gianni Schicchi on the main stage with the company.
Since returning to Chicago in 1999, she has performed leading roles with Florentine Opera of Milwaukee (Barbarina/Figaro, main stage; Rosina/Barber of Seville, abridged performance in English) and DuPage Opera Theater (Susanna/Figaro) and in concert as a soloist with The Music of the Baroque (Second Woman/Dido and Aeneas), DuPage Symphony Orchestra (Handel's Messiah), Park Ridge Civic Orchestra (Mahler's Fourth; Voices of Spring), and Handel Week Festival (Emira/Siroe, American premiere). She has performed in recital with the Musicians Club of Women recital series, Unity Temple concert series, and with the Dame Myra Hess concert series at the Chicago Cultural Center. She returned to Italy in 2003 and performed in a duet recital of Mendelssohn and Schumann Lieder at the Spoleto Festival as part of the noon concert series Concerti di mezzogiorno.
Highlights from 2007 include performing Nannetta/Falstaff with Indianapolis Opera, the Mozart Requiem with the New Philharmonic and Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestras, Handel's Messiah with St. Ignatius, and for four chapters of the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Tina is very grateful for the support she has received from the Chicago music community, namely the incredible women who make up the Musicians Club of Women (Lynne Harvey Scholarship winner, 2004 and the Edith Newfield Scholarship winner, 2003), the Union League Civic & Arts Foundation (scholarship winner 2003 and 2004), the Bel Canto Foundation (award winner, 2003), the Society for American Musicians (2003), the American Opera Society of Chicago (Collins Foundation Scholarship winner, 2002), and her husband, family, teacher, various special individuals, coaches, and friends.