Lea Peterson is a Boston-based singer, music director, vocal arranger, and voice teacher. As a classically trained mezzo-soprano Lea has an active soloist and ensemble career as well as being a sought-after private voice coach, teaching artist, and conductor. In every performance Lea is dedicated to emotive musicality, healthy technique, language accuracy, and authentic emotional expression. Lea brings fastidious attention to details of rhythm, pitch, and musicality, especially as a chorus member, section leader, and ensemble singer; always striving for the ultimate goal of telling a story and illuminating shared humanity through music and arts.
Lea is currently the alto soloist at Hancock United in Lexington and previously sang at Christ Church Needham where she also revitalized the youth choir, functioning as its music director and conductor. She currently sings with Ensemble Lyrae, the Pandora Consort, and A Joyful Noyse, performing vocal chamber and choral works ranging from the baroque to modern day. Lea also performs as a solo act throughout the greater Boston area, singing pop and folk music at markets, bars, lounges, and events. Some of Lea's current projects include a concert program of treble-vocal
celestial music entitled "Star Bright," which will be premiering across the state in May; coaching and singing on a fully produced original gospel album (details yet to be public); music directing "Heathers" at Bridgewater State University; and preparing for a week-long performance of "The Witching Hour" at the SOHIP Musical Festival.
As a private teacher Lea maintains a voice studio in Somerville, where she teachers students 15+, always prioritizing healthy vocal technique and pedagogical knowledge. Lea is also a highly regarded workshop leader and group coach, often being invited into high schools, colleges, and community choirs to lend her expertise in regards to ensemble music making, vocal arranging, and conducting. She was previously the choral director at Boston Latin Academy and works as a visiting accompanist and music director at Bridgewater State University. Utilizing her musical talent alongside her background in theatre and musical theatre, Lea has worked at BLA, The Winsor School, Cambridge Center for Adult Education, Roxbury Latin, The Performing Arts Connection, Greater Boston Stage Company, Boston Children's Theatre, and many other excellent education institutions.
Lea completed her M.M. in Vocal Studies at Longy School of Music of Bard College with a 4.0 GPA under studio teacher Pamela Dellal. She previously earned a B.A. in Music from Skidmore College, graduating summa cum laude with Honors in Music after only 3 years. She studied with soprano Sylvia Stoner-Hawkins and took notable masterclasses with Robert Glasper and Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon. In 2012 Lea was one of 6 singers to be awarded the Ensign Darling Vocal Fellowship at the Bushnell Center for the Arts, studying with teacher Joanne Scattergood, coach Starr Cookman, and taking masterclasses with Sondra Kelly, Ellie Ellsworth, Kristin Huffman and many others.