American soprano Taylor Haines has become known for her radiant, powerful voice and compelling stage presence. In the 2026/27 season, she joins the ensemble at the Oldenburgisches Staatstheater, where her roles include Erste Dame (Die Zauberflöte), Berta (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Mother Abbess (The Sound of Music), and Curra (La forza del destino). She also appears at Staatstheater Meiningen as Desdemona (Otello) and Lady Clarence (Saint-Saëns’ Henry VIII). She recently made her concert debut with the MDR-Sinfonieorchester in Leipzig, performing the Wesendonck Lieder at the Wagner Festwoche.
Haines has performed across North America and Europe in repertoire spanning from Mozart to contemporary opera. Recent appearances include Vitellia (La clemenza di Tito) with Theater Lüneburg, Die Frau (Schönberg’s Erwartung), Die Zwangsarbeiterin (Shostakovitch’s Lady Macbeth von Mzensk) with Oldenburgisches Staatstheater, Rosalinde (Die Fledermaus) with Opera San José, and Alice Ford (Falstaff) with West Bay Opera. Other roles include Contessa Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), Older Alyce (Tom Cipullo’s Glory Denied), and Marcellina (Le nozze di Figaro) in a touring production with performances in Karlsruhe, Trossingen, Heidelberg, and Mannheim.
In summer 2026, Haines was a Bayreuth Fellow, participating in the Richard Wagner Verband’s international program during the world-renowned Bayreuth Festspiele. She was among a select group of Fellows chosen to perform in the Stipendiatenkonzert, following selection by a jury that included festival director Katharina Wagner. Earlier this year, she was awarded the Berenberg Culture Prize, culminating in a concert performance at Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie. Her additional distinctions include First Prize at the Concorso Internazionale di Canto Lirico Maria Amadini and Second Prizes at the Metropolitan Opera Regional National Council Auditions, Hans Staud Musikpreis in Vienna, Concorso Lirico Salvatore Licitra in Milan, Absalom Stiftung Mozart Competition, New York Lyric Opera Theatre Competition, and James Toland Vocal Arts Competition in California.
Beyond the opera stage, Haines is committed to using music in support of community and philanthropic causes. She has performed in benefit concerts and recitals supporting the Freedom from Fistula Foundation, which provides medical care to women and girls in Africa affected by obstetric fistula, and has been an active member of Mu Phi Epsilon, an international professional music fraternity supporting musicians and music scholarship.
Her theatrical background also encompasses musical theater, with roles including Fräulein Kost (Cabaret), Fiona (Brigadoon), and Judy Bernly (9 to 5: The Musical).
Haines holds degrees from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she studied with renowned Wagnerian soprano Deborah Voigt, and the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg. She has also studied at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi in Milan and participated in masterclasses with Renée Fleming, Linda Watson, Hedwig Fassbender, Jordan Shanahan, Patricia Racette, and Dorothea Röschmann.
Haines has performed across North America and Europe in repertoire spanning from Mozart to contemporary opera. Recent appearances include Vitellia (La clemenza di Tito) with Theater Lüneburg, Die Frau (Schönberg’s Erwartung), Die Zwangsarbeiterin (Shostakovitch’s Lady Macbeth von Mzensk) with Oldenburgisches Staatstheater, Rosalinde (Die Fledermaus) with Opera San José, and Alice Ford (Falstaff) with West Bay Opera. Other roles include Contessa Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro), Older Alyce (Tom Cipullo’s Glory Denied), and Marcellina (Le nozze di Figaro) in a touring production with performances in Karlsruhe, Trossingen, Heidelberg, and Mannheim.
In summer 2026, Haines was a Bayreuth Fellow, participating in the Richard Wagner Verband’s international program during the world-renowned Bayreuth Festspiele. She was among a select group of Fellows chosen to perform in the Stipendiatenkonzert, following selection by a jury that included festival director Katharina Wagner. Earlier this year, she was awarded the Berenberg Culture Prize, culminating in a concert performance at Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie. Her additional distinctions include First Prize at the Concorso Internazionale di Canto Lirico Maria Amadini and Second Prizes at the Metropolitan Opera Regional National Council Auditions, Hans Staud Musikpreis in Vienna, Concorso Lirico Salvatore Licitra in Milan, Absalom Stiftung Mozart Competition, New York Lyric Opera Theatre Competition, and James Toland Vocal Arts Competition in California.
Beyond the opera stage, Haines is committed to using music in support of community and philanthropic causes. She has performed in benefit concerts and recitals supporting the Freedom from Fistula Foundation, which provides medical care to women and girls in Africa affected by obstetric fistula, and has been an active member of Mu Phi Epsilon, an international professional music fraternity supporting musicians and music scholarship.
Her theatrical background also encompasses musical theater, with roles including Fräulein Kost (Cabaret), Fiona (Brigadoon), and Judy Bernly (9 to 5: The Musical).
Haines holds degrees from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she studied with renowned Wagnerian soprano Deborah Voigt, and the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg. She has also studied at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi in Milan and participated in masterclasses with Renée Fleming, Linda Watson, Hedwig Fassbender, Jordan Shanahan, Patricia Racette, and Dorothea Röschmann.
