Julia Elise Hardin, a native of Lawrence, KS, has been touted as a "powerful" and "expressive" singer drawing from her extensive acting background. Beginning with a career primarily based in theater, Ms. Hardin continued with strict vocal training at Northwestern University.  She has most recently appeared with Chicago Fringe Opera as Dinah in Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti, at Bach Week Festival singing the Alto solo in Bach’s Mass in F Major, and at Lancaster Symphony Orchestra in Mozart’s Coronation Mass. 

Stage appearances have featured her as Second Lady in The Magic Flute with Chicago Opera Theater, and with Chicago Lyric Opera’s program Opera in the Neighborhoods both as Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Tisbe in La Cenerentola. At Lorin Maazel’s Castleton Festival, she reprised the role of Polly in Britten’s The Beggar’s Opera for multiple seasons, and also sang La suora infermiera in Suor Angelica and Desiree in A Little Night Music. Roles with Florentine Opera have included Giovanna in Rigoletto, Mrs. Baines in Elmer Gantry, Zulma in L’Italiana in Algeri, First Witch in Dido and Aeneas, and Shepherd in Venus and Adonis. Ms. Hardin sang Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro with Peninsula Music Festival and performed with Central City Opera as Rosalia in West Side Story, the Sorceress in Dido and Aeneas, as well as covering and performing Mrs. McLean in Susannah.

Ms. Hardin has been involved with numerous concert engagements, including as the Mezzo-Soprano Soloist in Grand Rapid Symphony’s performances of Paulus’ To Be Certain of the Dawn, the Alto Soloist in Mozart’s Requiem at Fort Wayne Philharmonic, the Alto Soloist for the Milwaukee Symphony in Handel’s Messiah, and as a featured soloist in Bach’s Magnificat with the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra. 

Off stage, Ms. Hardin is a founding member of Chicago Fringe Opera, and is the Manager of Development and engagement for Twickenham Fest in Huntsville Alabama. 

Ms. Hardin was a Regional Finalist for the 2011 NATSAA competition, won Second Place in the 2010 Chicago Bel Canto Foundation competition, was selected for the 2009 Neue Stimmen semi-finals in Germany, and a finalist for the Chicago Union League competition. She was winner of the 2007 Friends of Austria vocal competition, second place finalist for the 2007 NATS vocal competition, and a 2006 I Solisti soloist for the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music’s Opera and Music Festival in Lucca, Italy. Ms. Hardin holds a bachelors degree from the University of Kansas and a masters from Northwestern University, and has been involved in artist apprenticeships through Central City Opera, Chicago Opera Theater, and Florentine Opera’s resident Studio Artist program. She currently studies with Julia Faulkner.