American mezzo-soprano Erica Brookhyser is in her first year with LA Opera's Domingo-Thornton Young Artist Program. Her appearances during the 2008/09 season include her Company debut as Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly, Mercedes in student matinee performances of Carmen, Waltraute in Die Walküre, and Annina in La Traviata. Hailed by Opera News for her "vivid, rich voice," and by The Boston Globe for her "radiant stage presence and exquisite musicality," Ms. Brookhyser is rapidly garnering the attention of audiences and critics nationwide. Ms. Brookhyser's operatic appearances include the title role in family performaces of Cendrillon with Central City Opera, Tisbe in La Cenerentola with Utah Opera, Rosina in The Barber of Seville with Opera New England, and Myrtale in Thaïs with Boston Lyric Opera. As a concert soloist she has performed with the Utah Symphony and Boston Symphony in repertoire ranging from Handel's Messiah to Schoenberg's Moses und Aron. She is the recipient of many honors including semi-finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, finalist in the MacAllister Awards, and winner of the Shrestinian Award for Excellence. A native of Oregon, Ms. Brookhyser holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Oregon and a master's degree from the New England Conservatory. Additional operatic training includes the apprentice programs of Santa Fe Opera, Utah Opera, Central City Opera, and Tanglewood Music Festival.