NaGuanda Nobles
Like most great singers, Mrs. Nobles began singing within the supportive walls of her home church. It was there she discovered a love for singing and developed as a soloist. As a member of the Georgia Mass Choir, under the direction of Rev. Milton Biggham, she performed in the film “The Preacher's Wife”. Although she was born in Tallahassee, Florida, Mrs. Nobles attended high school in Thomasville, Georgia, where she began her classical training. A Florida State University (FSU) graduate, she received her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in voice performance. She made her debut on the opera stage as Papagena in a production of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, with the FSU orchestra. Throughout her years of college, Mrs. Nobles was a featured soloist in the Florida State University Singers, directed by Dr. André Thomas. In the summer of 2002, Dr. Thomas invited Mrs. Nobles to be the soprano soloist on the Soul of America tour throughout Germany with the Berlin Rundfunkchor. One of Mrs. Nobles’ crowning performances was at her alma mater, as the featured soloist in An Evening With Gershwin concert, with the Tallahassee Community Chorus and Symphony under the baton of Dr. Thomas.
Mrs. Nobles was contracted to participate in the Austin Lyric Opera’s (ALO) Young Artist program for the 2002-2003 season and made her ALO debut performing the role of Sister Rose in the Southwestern premiere of Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking. She was recognized by the San Antonio’s Express News as being “one of the standouts among the other singers.” The Austin American-Statesman reviewed her performance as “vocally impressive,” while the Houston Chronicle reviewed her as one who “sang radiantly”. Also during the season she was awarded second place in the Southwest Regional Competition of the Metropolitan Opera National Council in January 2003. In the fall of 2003, Mrs. Nobles made her professional debut on the ALO stage in the role of Liú in their production of Puccini’s Turandot, under the baton of Maestro Peter Bay.
A month later, she made her Boston Symphony debut with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, singing the soprano solo in Wynton Marsalis’ All Rise, under the baton of Maestro Kurt Masur. In the spring of 2005, Mrs. Nobles made her Pensacola Opera debut performing the role of Clara in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, under the baton of Maestro Jerome Shannon. The next season, Maestro Shannon invited her to perform an encore performance under his baton with the Mobile Opera.
Mrs. Nobles joined the Pittsburgh Opera Center in fall 2005 and proudly performed in the main stage performances of Rigoletto and Ariadne auf Naxos. Later in the season, Mrs. Nobles performed the role of Atalanta in the Opera Center’s production of Handel’s Xerxes. She was reviewed as being “outstanding as the bad girl…with a sizeable voice and riveting persona to match” by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Mrs. Nobles was invited back for a second season with the Pittsburgh Opera Center and was honored to perform the charming role of Papagena in the Pittsburgh Opera’s mainstage production of Die Zauberflöte. The Pittsburgh post-gazette gave another wonderful review, questioning why Mozart and his librettist didn’t introduce the character of Papagena earlier in the opera “after seeing NaGuanda Nobles excel in the role.” The same review stated that Mrs. Nobles “captured the silly yet sexy birdwoman with ease.”
In 2007, Mrs. Nobles had the opportunity to debut one of her dream roles, the role of Mimi, with the Fremont Opera. From there, she went on to be named the 2008 Shreveport ‘Singer of the Year’ and was also awarded first place in the Fritz and Lavinia Jensen Foundation Competition. Other first place awards include the Irene Dalis Vocal Competition in its inaugural year, the Opera Birmingham Vocal competition, and the Classical Singer Convention competition, Division 1, in its inaugural year.
Mrs. Nobles most recently made her Dayton Opera debut, performing the role of Liu in their production of Turandot. The Dayton City Paper stated, “In her Dayton debut as little Liu, NaGuanda Nobles displays a surprisingly big, warming soprano with a lovely shimmering top that she uses to ravishing effect in her two major arias. She offers a winning combination of beauty and intensity in her singing. Her death provides one of the most gripping moments of the production and her return to the stage at the end of the performance prompted a standing ovation.” Upcoming performances for the 2010-11 season includes a list of companies that have invited her back to perform: Dayton Opera (Clara in Porgy and Bess), Stockton Opera (Mimi in LaBoheme), Berlin Rundfunkchor, Pittsburgh Opera (Liu in Turandot), and also includes an Atlanta Opera debut (Clara in Porgy and Bess).
