Norah Long

Norah Long Biography

Norah Long has established an illustrious career on her flexibility of style, winning critical acclaim worldwide for her work across genres of theater, opera, concert stage, recording studio, and sacred music.

In Ricky Ian Gordon’s Orpheus and Euridice at Minneapolis' Pantages Theater, Opera Today Magazine described Norah’s voice as “a full-bodied voice of special color and grit,” and Minneapolis Star-Tribune wrote, “By turns ethereal, cackling, sinister, girly and richly operatic, her singing infuses Gordon’s lyrics with a dazzling interpretation.”

Norah’s flexibility and willingness to try new things has won her the opportunity to perform many world premieres, including: Stephen Paulus’ Pulitzer Prize nominated To Be Certain of the Dawn with Minnesota Orchestra; David Heath’s “street” concerto Alone at the Frontier with Minnesota Orchestra and violinist Nigel Kennedy; and a wild and contemporary adaptation of The Impresario and The Bourgeois Gentleman with John De Lancie, Andreas Delfs, and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.

Other world premieres include Mark Warhol’s random-note song cycle Crazy Rabbit Songs (recorded for innova label’s CD “Ou est Fleuri Rose et autres aventures”); Albert Biales’ full-length opera The Dragon as the heroine Elsa; and Kim D. Sherman’s opera trilogy Three Visitations, as the wild-haired and electric Ophelia Levine (“Lamentations”) and the tormented Norma Desmond-like Amana del Ray (“Long Island Dreamer”).

Norah also premiered the role of Judy Garland, ages 4-36, in William Randal Beard’s critically acclaimed musical Beyond the Rainbow; the roles of LaVerne Andrews and Maxene Andrews respectively in Beth Gilleland’s box office hit musicals Sisters of Swing and Christmas of Swing; and Eliza Wilder in Little House on the Prairie: the Musical, directed by Francesca Zambello.

Among her numerous collaborators while developing pieces for workshops, readings, recordings, and smaller premieres, Norah has worked with Bobby McFerrin, Jeffrey Hatcher, Chan Poling, Kira Obolensky, Robert Elhai, Carol Barnett, Rachel Sheinkin, Dale Warland, Rachel Portman, and Marsha Norman.

Norah’s dynamic career began with The Dale Warland Singers, with whom she received early critical praise as a soloist, being singled out by the press as “stunning.” Reviews for her dramatic and vocal work since then have followed suit, making her presence a covetable asset for directors around the country.

Backstage East Magazine (NYC) has called Norah’s musical theater performances “extraordinary,” American Record Guide “eminently believable” and “breathtaking,” and St. Paul Pioneer Press “Magnificent. Luminous. Sublime.” Also an accomplished dramatic actor, Long has won accolades nationally for her theater roles, with press calling her work “exquisite,” “compelling,” “psychologically complex,” “superb,” “powerful,” “genuine,” and “intelligent.” She has been honored with Artist of the Year awards and in best-of lists many times throughout her career, and has been profiled in numerous feature articles for newspaper and magazine.

Norah’s success has taken her to Germany and Japan on solo concert tours where she received glowing reviews, as she has for performances throughout the United States. Here in the US, Norah delighted audiences as Lorie Line’s vocal soloist on her 2008 national holiday tour.

Norah’s Minneapolis-St. Paul regional credits include regular appearances at the Guthrie Theater, where she most recently portrayed Kristine in Dollhouse directed by Wendy C. Goldberg; other Guthrie credits include Eliza Wilder in the premiere of Little House on the Prairie (in which she also understudied Melissa Gilbert as Ma) and Abigail Adams in 1776. She also appears frequently as a soloist for Minnesota Orchestra, as well as regularly playing leading roles at Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Skylark Opera, and Chanhassen Dinner Theatres where credits include Agnes in I Do! I Do!, Milly in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Guenevere in Camelot, Maria in The Sound of Music, and her nationally-acclaimed performance as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. Among her other widely-acclaimed Twin Cities credits are Marie in Lombardi (History Theatre), Cinderella in Into the Woods, Laura in Goblin Market, and Cathy in The Last Five Years (Nautilus Music-Theater), Jo March in Little Women (Tony Award-winning Children's Theatre Company), Fanny in On the Verge (Jungle Theater), Julie in Miss Julie and Imogen in Cymbeline (Ten Thousand Things Theater), and Roxane in Tony Award-winning Theatre de la Jeune Lune’s stunning production of “Cyrano.”

Around the country, Norah has been lauded for outstanding performances as Catherine in “The Heiress” for Denver’s Arvada Center for the Arts and as Judy Garland for Riverside Theatre (Vero Beach) and Florida Stage. In 2012, Norah expanded her career to the New York area for the first time, understudying both Donna English as Elsa Schraeder and Suzanne Ishee as Mother Abbess at Paper Mill Playhouse in The Sound of Music.

In January 2010, Norah released a solo CD entitled View from Violet Hill, a collection of newly arranged hymns, gospel songs, and original music, including the premiere recording of a song by Jamie Bernstein Thomas, written in honor of her father Leonard Bernstein. She is also featured with baritone Peter Halverson on Skylark Opera’s CD Sweethearts of Song: The Songs of Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald, and on Lorie Line’s 2008 CD Christmas Around the World.

When not busy performing onstage, Norah has been ongoingly engaged as a Teaching Artist for Upstream Arts, a Twin Cities-based education program for people with disabilities, and resident soloist for St. Philip the Deacon Lutheran Church in Plymouth, MN. She is currently dividing her time between Minneapolis and New York.

Fans can find more information, as well as pictures, video, and audio recordings, at her Facebook Page (facebook.com/norahlong.news) and on Reverb Nation (reverbnation.com/norahlong).