Hope Koehler

Professor - Voice

Hope Koehler, soprano, whose voice has been heralded as having “the richness of Marilyn Horne at the bottom and the clarion clarity of Leontyne Price at the top” has appeared all over the United States, in Canada, Europe, Asia, and South America where she has been heard in recital, concert, and opera. She has appeared in a wide variety of operas, singing the title roles of Tosca, Maria Stuarda, Carmen, Fidelio, and Madama Butterfly. In addition she has appeared in a variety operetta and musical theatre productions.

Her oratorio and other choral orchestral works include Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Verdi’s Requiem, Mozart’s Requiem, and Vesperae solennes di confessore, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Rossini’s Stabat Mater, Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 (Resurrection), and many others.

In June of 2008 Albany Records released Koehler’s recording of John Jacob Niles songs titled The Lass from the Low Countree, performed with James Douglass at the piano. June 2013 saw the release of Koehler’s second solo CD titled Lost Melodies, featuring unpublished and out-of-print songs of John Jacob Niles. This CD was also recorded with James Douglass at the piano.

Active in both concert and recital, she is a featured soloist with the world renowned American Spiritual Ensemble, and can be heard on the CDs The Lily of the Valley, The Spirit of the Holidays, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, and The Duke Returns as well as the DVD and PBS documentary, The Spirituals.

In addition to serving as Professor of Voice at West Virginia University, Koehler serves on the voice faculty of the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts. She also serves on the faculty of the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) in Graz, Austria.

Koehler received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Voice Performance and Music Education at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee, and her Master of Music degree in Voice Performance at the University of Alabama. She received her Doctor of Musical Arts in Voice Performance at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, where she studied with tenor Everett McCorvey, and soprano Gail Robinson.