Sonja Tengblad

My teaching offers a holistic, flexible, and fun approach to singing. Through The Regulated Voice—a method I created that combines nervous system regulation, neurology, breathwork, and modern vocal pedagogy—I support students in exploring any style of singing they are drawn to, from ensemble work to classical, opera, belt, music theater, and all colors that 21st century music inspires us to make.

As a performer, I have built a career that balances both ensemble and solo work, with special focus on baroque and contemporary repertoire. Ensemble singing is my first love and a defining feature of my career: Notably, I sing with the Grammy-nominated Lorelei Ensemble, an 8-voice women's ensemble that has commissioned over 70 new works for female voice, including Julia Wolf's Her Story, a docu-opera about the suffragist movement performed with 5 major American symphonies last year. I also sing with the Grammy-winning ensemble Conspirare (mostly touring Considering Matthew Shepard), Blue Heron (Gramophone Winner, 2018), Cut Circle—who performs the music of Josquin and Ockeghem in a folk/pop vocal stycle—and Emmanuel Music, the only American church to perform Bach Cantatas weekly as they would have been done in Bach's time with full orchestra and soloists.

My solo appearances include opera and concert work with institutions such as Boston Baroque, Celebrity Series, the Handel and Haydn Society, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, the Bach Roots Festival, and the Oregon Bach Festival. Recent highlights include Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 14 with A Far Cry, Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with the Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Mahler's 2nd Symphony with the Boston Philharmonic, a Movie Magic crossover concert with the Hartford Symphony the premiere of the New Moon operetta with members of the Silk Road Ensemble and solo debuts at both Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center with the New York City Chamber Orchestra.

I am also deeply committed to art song, the cornerstone of any singer’s education. My self-curated program Modern Dickinson (all 21st-century settings of Emily Dickinson’s poetry) was named one of the “Best Arts Events of 2015” in Austin, TX, and received four Austin Critics Table nominations. I continue this work through In Her Words, an ongoing project with Calliope’s Call that explores female composers setting female poets. In 2014, I was awarded 2nd place in the American Prize Art Song and Oratorio division.

Beyond the stage, I am an active climate and environmental justice advocate, co-coordinating the East Boston chapter of Mothers Out Front, where I lead an air quality campaign. I also founded Beyond Artists, a consortium of performers who pledge a portion of their fees to nonprofits they care about and publicize them in their bios.

I live in East Boston with my husband, percussionist Jonathan Hess, and our son Soren. In addition to Wellesley, I also serve on the voice faculty at Harvard University. More about my work and The Regulated Voice can be found at www.sonjatengblad.com.

Education

• B.A. or B.S., St. Olaf College