Biography
Lea Woods Almanza (formerly Friedman) finds immense satisfaction in sharing her love of beautiful music drawn from all across the globe. Her own cosmopolitan cultural heritage affords her a unique sensitivity to a wide variety of audiences who appreciate an increasingly diverse repertoire. Lea’s lyric soprano voice — described as spotless, exquisite, and touching — illuminates the songs she sings and moves audiences to feel the very heart of the music she so loves to perform.
Lea made her role debut of Musetta in La Boheme with the Augusta Opera, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro with Opera Hong Kong, as well as Liu in Turandot with Hawaii Opera Theater.
Other engagements have included the role of Micaela in Carmen with Opera Hong Kong, Shanghai Symphony, and the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra in China; Valencienne in The Merry Widow with Fresno Grand Opera, Singapore Lyric Opera, and Opera Malaysia; and Zerlina in Chautauqua Opera’s Don Giovanni. Her earlier roles include Barbarina in Le nozze di Figaro and Papagena in The Magic Flute, with Michigan Opera Theatre, Hawaii Opera Theater, and the Beijing Music Festival.
She has sung with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra in Carmina Burana at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center, as well as with the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, and Rutter’s Gloria, and with the Maui Choral & Symphony at the Maui Cultural Center. She has participated in programs run by the International Vocal Arts Institute both in Puerto Rico and Tel Aviv, Israel with frequent coachings by Sherill Milnes, and other reknown Opera greats! Lea often returns to Asia, performing as a soprano soloist with Singers Beyond Borders, whose concerts have taken them to Shanghai, Singapore, Beijing, Manila, and Hong Kong. Their adventure into Asia this year will take them into two Chinese cities where the group has yet to perform, Xian and Chengdu.
Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Lea has gone great distances for scholastic education and musical enrichment. After receiving a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University, Lea lived in Italy for three years where she studied with Maestri Franco Corelli, Maurizio Arena, and Maria Chiara. Thereafter, Manhattan, New York became her professional base for seven years, studying with Diana Soviero, Bill Schumann, Mark Oswald, and Joan Dornemann. Lea’s return to Honolulu has proven to be more fruitful than she could have imagined: starting her young family in the place she grew up, and expanding her audience with the release of her latest recordings, a compilation of joyful children’s songs entitled, “Sing-A-Long with Lea & Jeff”.