Ann Moss, soprano
“beautifully pure floated high notes”
“powerful expression ... exquisite phrasing”
“long fluid lines are exquisite”
Soprano Ann Moss is an acclaimed recording artist and champion of contemporary vocal music who performs and collaborates with a dynamic array of living composers and chamber ensembles. Her high, silvery, flexible voice has been singled out by Opera News for "beautifully pure floated high notes" and by San Francisco Classical Voice for "powerful expression" and "exquisite phrasing." Mike Telin of Cleveland Classical writes, her "long fluid lines are exquisite." In addition to working closely with well-known composers such as Jake Heggie, Kaija Saariaho, John Harbison, and Aaron Jay Kernis, Ann seeks out and performs music by emerging voices at forums and festivals across the USA.
Highlights of the 2019-2020 season include Mahler's 2nd Symphony with UCBSO, concerts in tribute to singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell on the occasion of her 76th birthday, a presentation at NOA's 65th Annual National Conference, Guest Artist Residencies at University of Texas-San Antonio, San Diego State University, and Baldwin-Wallace University Conservatory in conjunction with Cleveland Opera Theater's New Opera Works Festival for the premiere of House Songs, composed for her by Griffin Candey. Moss also makes solo appearances this season with San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, Ninth Planet, and in recitals with guitarist David Tanenbaum and pianists Cheryl Cellon Lindquist and Steven Bailey.
As co-founder and Artistic Director of new-music repertory group CMASH, Ann Moss has been personally responsible for the creation and premiere of nearly 150 art songs, vocal chamber music, and operatic works. She has been a featured soloist with San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, Redwood Symphony, Orchestra Without Borders, UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra; West Edge Opera, Solo Opera, SF Lyric Opera, Berkeley Opera; San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, Earplay, Eco Ensemble, Composers in Red Sneakers, Composers, Inc., Music of Remembrance; the Ives, Alexander, Lydian and Hausmann String Quartets; at FENAM, Other Minds Festival, CNMAT, Fresno New Music Festival, PARMA, Hot Air Festival, Bear Valley Music Festival, and Switchboard Music Festival.
Moss has released two solo albums, Currents (2013, Angels Share Records) and Love Life (2016, ASR), both produced by multi-GRAMMY® award winner Leslie Ann Jones at Skywalker Sound. Forthcoming commercial releases include Autumn Winds (2020, PARMA) and Chamber Music of Nancy Bachmann (2020, no label). You can also hear her on releases from Naxos, Arsis, Albany, Navona Records, and Jaded Ibis Productions labels.
Ann Moss has lectured about vocal composition at MIT, UC Davis, Longy School of Music of Bard College, NYU Tisch School For The Arts, University of Houston Moores School of Music, University of Texas-Pan American, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Sacramento State University, and CSU Los Angeles.
A native of Boston and a graduate of Hampshire College, the Longy School of Music of Bard College, and San Francisco Conservatory, Ann Moss resides and teaches in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, jazz violinist / classical violist Justin Ouellet. Ann is a Reiki practitioner, enthusiastic Yogi, and pursues a lifelong interest in Traditional Chinese Medicine.