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Adjunct Instructor of Voice
Esther Yi-An Tien, a Taiwanese mezzo-soprano, is an active performer and teacher. She is often sought after to premiere new operas. This season (2023-2024), Esther joined the world premiere in lead roles in Climate Opera with the American Opera Project at BAM Fisher (New York City) in April and a chamber opera, All of Us, commissioned by The Center of The Performing Arts (Carmel, IN) in June. In February, she portrayed Hiroko Kobayashi in IU Opera and Ballet Theater's production of An American Dream. In August, she sang Cornelia in Giulio Cesare with Chicago Summer Opera.
She has performed as an opera singer and recitalist throughout the U.S., Europe, and Asia in venues such as the Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City, Jordan Hall, and the National Concert Hall of Taiwan. She has frequently represented Taiwan in diplomatic events as a soloist in Europe and the United States since 2018, and she received The Mayoral Award of Excellence from the government of her hometown, Tainan City. Esther was chosen worldwide to participate in masterclasses with opera star Sumi Jo in Salzburg, Austria, in 2019, and she was a Professional Fellow at Songfest in 2023, where she worked directly with notable musicians such as Roger Vignoles, John Musto, Amy Burton, and Javier Arrebola. As an active recitalist, Esther held a sponsored solo recital through NewArt Inc. Young Artist Foundation at the National Concert Hall of Taiwan in 2016, setting the record as the youngest operatic singer to perform there as a soloist. She has sung as a guest soloist with choirs in Vivaldi's Gloria (RV. 589), Mozart's Vesperae solennes de confessore (K. 339), and Schubert's Mass No. 2 in G Major (D. 167).
Her selected roles prior to this season include Edka (Out of Darkness), Satirino (La Calisto), Linfea (La Calisto), Il Destino (La Calisto), Novice ( Suor Angelica), Second Lady (The Magic Flute), Papagena (The Magic Flute), and Grandma (Little Red Riding Hood). Her partial roles include Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro), Ormindo (L'ormindo), Zulma (L'italiana in Algeri), Sesto (Giulio Cesare), and Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro).
After she started studying voice at the age of 15, Esther was admitted into Royal Academy of Music in London, UK, at 17 on scholarship. She later felt called by God to pursue her studies and career in the United States instead. She has been in the U.S. for the past decade, earning her bachelor's degree from Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University with the George Woodhead Prize in Voice and a master's degree from New England Conservatory with Graduate Assistantship and Dean's Scholarship. Esther was the elected Class of 2020 Commencement Speaker. She is currently a doctoral candidate at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, studying with Dr. Brian Gill. Esther is also a certified vocologist through IU Jacobs School of Music and the Speech and Hearing Sciences Department at IU School of Medicine.
As an educator, Esther was vice president of IU SNATS (Student National Association of Teachers of Singing), where she coordinated the annual New Voice Educators Symposium. Esther's students have been successfully accepted into top programs in the country in the past decade. They are pursuing careers as singer-songwriters, gospel singers, movie soundtrack artists, and classical singers around the world. She has been teaching at Taylor University since 2023.
