BIO

Entrenched in a multitude of styles, Canadian-American soprano Molly Netter enlivens complex and beautiful music, both old and new. Noted for her “natural warmth” (LA Times) and “clear, beautiful tone” (NY Times), Molly’s voice can be heard on six GRAMMY-nominated albums since 2017. 

Highly sought after as a soloist, recent season engagements include solo debuts with the New York Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Julia Wolfe’s “Steel Hammer” at Carnegie Hall, the premiere of Katherine Balch’s Illuminate with the California Symphony, Reena Esmail’s “The History of Red” with the Albany Symphony, as well as solo appearances with both the Fort Worth and Johnstown Symphonies for Handel’s Messiah. Recent recording releases include David Lang’s “little match girl passion” for solo quartet on Cantaloupe music, gallant music from “the New Spain” recorded in Madrid with Camerata Antonio Soler on Orchid Classics, a video concert of 16th century song with Voices of Music in Berkeley, CA, and Handel’s Israel in Egypt with Apollo’s Fire Baroque Orchestra, which was nominated for a GRAMMY in 2025.

Upcoming solo engagements in the 2025-26 season include Bach’s B Minor Mass with the San Antonio Philharmonic, Mozart’s Requiem and Schubert's Mass in G with the Bach Society of St. Louis, a new solo program called “The Secret Garden” with Voices of Music in San Francisco featuring baroque and medieval music with a world premiere, Praetorius’s Christmas Vespers with Apollo’s Fire, David Lang’s Oscar-nominated ‘simple song #3’ with Vicky Chow and the composer in NYC, solo programs with Parthenia Viols in NYC and Alychmy Viols in Indianapolis, the role of ‘Bellezza’ in Handel’s Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno and the role of ‘Donna Anna’ in Mozart’s Don Giovanni at the Staunton Music Festival in VA.  Next season also includes the release of Amy Beth Kirsten’s composer portrait album, featuring a world premiere piece written for Netter on self-accompanied clavicytherium alongside works written for Sandbox Percussion and Icarus Quartet.  

Other performance highlights include the US and Japanese premieres of ‘prayers for night and sleep’  by David Lang conducted by Joe Hisaishi at Carnegie Hall and in Tokyo. Netter has also been presented as soloist by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Early Music Festival, New World Symphony, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, the Bang-on-a-Can All Stars, and on tour in Japan, Singapore and Burma under Masaaki Suzuki. 

Consistently engaged in early and new music, Molly was a featured curator/performer on Trinity Wall Street’s 2019 “Time’s Arrow Festival,” leading an eclectic evening of Barbara Strozzi paired with newly commissioned works. In 2020 she began commissioning an entirely new repertoire for self-accompanied singer and clavicytherium, working with composers to emphasize the florid voice, early music vocal techniques and improvisation.

A dedicated teacher, Netter co-directs the voice program with James Taylor at the Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute.  In spring 2026, she will also serve as guest vocal faculty for the Elora Singers Studio for Ensemble Singing and Conducting in Elora, Ontario focusing on art song, oratorio, and chamber repertoire.  Molly holds a BM in composition and contemporary voice from Oberlin Conservatory and an MM in early music voice from the Yale Institute of Sacred Music.