About Amanda 

 

A lyric mezzo-soprano, Amanda Russo Stante has been recognized for her “highly theatrical, vocally persuasive” performances, which are “nothing short of stunning” (Herald Times – Bloomington, IN). Known for her versatility in both feminine and pants roles, some of Amanda’s most beloved roles performed include the title roles in Handel’s Serse and Massenet’s Cendrillon, Hansel in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, Octavian in Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier, and Isabella in Rossini’s L’Italiana in Algeri. Equally at home on the concert and recital stage, Amanda’s recent solo concert engagements include Mahler’s Rückert Lieder, Britten’s Canticle II, Corigliano’s Fern Hill, Ravel’s Shéhérazade, Duruflé’s Requiem, Manuel de Falla's Siete canciones populares Españolas and Handel’s Messiah. Most recently, Amanda performed two world premieres, Wilderness Plots and The Good We Do with collaborate pianist Kimberly Carballo. Amanda’s performance experience has taken her to The Glimmerglass Festival, Indiana University Opera Theater, Central City Opera, The Kennedy Center, and concert stages across the United States and Europe. She has appeared as a soloist with the Budapest Concert Orchestra as a soloist with the Robert Page Festival Singers, The Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh, The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra, the Akron Symphony Orchestra, the Wooster Symphony Orchestra, and the Edgewood Symphony Orchestra of Pittsburgh.

​

Amanda’s passion for performing complements her commitment to teaching voice. She serves on the music faculty at Susquehanna University as Assistant Professor of Voice. This summer, Amanda will return to New England Music Camp to teach voice and other courses for the second time. Amanda is an active member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and recently gave her presentation Women in Music: Their Stories and Their Songs at the Fall 2021 Allegheny Mountain Chapter auditions. Prior to her appointment at Susquehanna University, Amanda taught courses at the IU Jacobs School of Music and served on the voice faculty at Indiana State University. She has also been on the voice faculty for the IU Jacob School of Music’s College Audition Preparation Workshop and Carnegie Mellon University’s Pre-College Program. Amanda stage directed for Reimagining Opera for Kids (ROK), a Bloomington-based opera outreach company, for two seasons and continues to serve on their Board of Directors.

A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Amanda began her studies in higher education in her hometown at Carnegie Mellon University. After completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a minor in German, Amanda moved to the Midwest, where she went on to complete her Master of Music and Doctor of Music degrees at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Her doctoral studies culminated with her lecture recital on Peter Lieberson’s Neruda Songs.

​

Amanda lives in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania with her husband, Jon, and their two children.