Hannah Harrow

Soprano Hannah Harrow, a native of Rochester, NY, has been praised for her “brightness, enthusiasm and directness” (Graham Johnson), as well as her “vocal strength” and “radiant expression” (The Lake Placid News). She received her BM (’15) and MM (’18) in Vocal Performance from the Eastman School of Music in the studio of tenor Robert Swensen, and her finished DMA (‘24) in the studio of Kathryn Cowdrick. Hannah grew up taking voice and piano lessons at the Eastman Community Music School, studying with Jane-Gunther McCoy and Alla Kuznetsov.

Hannah is a passionate teacher of both classical and contemporary singers. She has coached Musical Theater repertoire and scenes at the University of Rochester alongside Kim Kowalke, president of the Kurt Weill Foundation and a founder of the prestigious Lotte Lenya Vocal Competition. Her students have performed in University of Rochester’s elite acapella groups, frequently sing lead roles in their high school musicals and local theater companies, attend summer festivals and place in local competitions. Her students have continued their singing careers at colleges such as Eastman School of Music, NYU, SUNY Fredonia, Berklee College of Music, and Ithaca. In 2024, she won Eastman’s Lecture Recital Prize for her lecture entitled #Relatable, which explored the implementation of a student-centered psychological theory in her ECMS Voice Studio. 

Hannah is passionate about sound pedagogy and technique, both in classical and contemporary styles. Drawing on her extensive training, she loves to teach a wide variety of musical styles with a foundation in healthy, bel canto technique. She has helped many students overcome vocal injury and technical challenges. As an electric bassist and keyboardist, she possesses a wide variety of contemporary music experience and enjoys finding creative ways to incorporate all of her students’ musical interests into their vocal studies. Most recently, she completed summer graduate coursework at the Shenandoah University Contemporary & Commercial Music Vocal Pedagogy Institute. She has a special interest in teaching the tenor and bass voices given her many years of study with renowned tenor and pedagogue Robert Swensen.

Hannah’s notable performances credits include lead roles on the opera stage, concert performances of sacred works, musical theater and jazz; recital work; and studio recordings with live orchestra. One of her favorite performance memories is singing Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni on the stage of the Estates Theater in Prague, Czechia, where Mozart himself conducted. She frequently performs in the Rochester area, most recently at the Rochester Fringe Festival. 

Hannah has coached with notable artists such as Renee Fleming, Mira Zakai, Gene Sheer, and Jake Heggie. She has a special love for art song and collaborative recital work. In 2017, she won second prize in the Jessie Kneisel Lieder Competition, adjudicated by renowned collaborative pianist and scholar Graham Johnson. She was a finalist in the Jessie Kneisel Lieder Competition in 2019 and in 2021. 

Hannah’s passion for singing and teaching has also lead her to prisons — including the infamous Rikers Island Correctional Facility in New York City, where she designed and directed a week-long music workshop for juvenile male residents. She continues to share her love of music and outreach by frequently performing at local nursing homes, homeless shelters and volunteering with the Salvation Army.