Biography 

Taylor Gonzaga is an American soprano and entrepreneur native to the pacific northwest. The previous few seasons have brought concert and conducting appearances with the St. Thomas liturgical choir's annual advent concert, as well as The Grotto PDX and KBVM FM Radio for Mozart's Exsultate Jubilate alongside collaborative pianist Jennifer Hughes. Taylor was a selected apprentice artist with the Vincerò Academy, working under the mentorship of artistic director and conductor Abdiel Vázquez and acclaimed coach Irina Meachem, and a second prize winner in the Charleston International Autumn Vocal Competition. Taylor made a highly acclaimed Carnegie Hall recital debut with Vincerò Academy during the 2023 season, singing selections from Puccini's La bohème and Monteverdi's Coronation of Poppea. Other concert and operatic engagements include collaborations with the Feminine Lyrique Ensemble’s digital concert series, soprano soloist in Handel’s Messiah (abridged) and excerpts from Vivaldi's Gloria at Portland’s Grotto Festival of Lights, and cinematic/live performances with Opera Cecilia, a west coast regional company of which Taylor is also the artistic director and founder. Most notably, Taylor performed as a soloist with her company in "Don't Fear The Diva- A Concert of Opera Through The Ages" in collaboration with the Columbia Gorge Orchestra Association.  Past seasons have also brought recognition with the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Onstage New York, and The University of Portland Concerto Aria Competition.

Taylor has performed the roles of Euridice in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, Lucy in Menotti’s The Telephone, Kate and Edith in Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Yeomen of the Guard and The Pirates of Penzance, Suor Agnese in Giordano’s Mese Mariano, Venere in Cavalli’s L’egisto, and Giulietta in Offenbach's Les Contes de Hoffmann (abridged), filmed at Minnesota's historic Glensheen Mansion estate. Taylor has prepared and coached the full roles of Miss Pinkerton in Menotti’s The Old Maid And The Thief, Madame Goldentrill in Mozart’s The Impresario, Musetta in Puccini’s La bohème, and Barbarina in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro with the University of Minnesota Duluth Opera Studio and the Vincerò Academy, and engaged in professional crossovers to musical theatre as ensemble in Adam Guettal’s The Light In The Piazza, Simon Zealot in Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Jesus Christ Superstar, and Florence in Steve Martin and Edie Blackwell’s Bright Star. Concert engagements include Bach’s Magnificat, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Britten’s Ceremony of Carols, and Mozart’s Requiem and Laudate Dominum. Coming up next, Taylor is incredibly excited to make her debut with Portland's Twilight Theater Company as the Beggar Woman in Steven Sondheim's Sweeney Todd. During the Christmas season, Taylor will also make another appearance as a featured soloist and conductor with the St. Thomas Liturgical Choir's annual advent concert, in her second season as the parishes resident director of music. 

A multi faceted artist, Taylor also enjoys a dual career in arts education and admin. She is the founder of Music Cecilia LLC, which includes a thriving home voice studio, a monetized YouTube channel, and a fully functional opera/lyric theater company. Known for her ability to connect with and inspire youth performers, Taylor also serves as a frequent guest instructor with Vancouver's Journey Theater Arts Group- with which she also made her music directorial debut. Taylor has also been invited as a guest masterclass instructor with pacific northwest based high schools, most recently Seton High School in Vancouver, and Central Catholic Highschool in Portland. Taylor is a principle cantor and resident director of music for St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Parish in Camas, WA. Taylor is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Duluth with an MM in vocal performance, where she was the proud recipient of a graduate teaching assistantship, and received her Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance from the University of Portland, where she was the recipient of UP’s Rodger Doyle Award for Vocalist of the Year.  Also a budding singer songwriter in the genres of country, folk, and pop music- Taylor refuses to confine her artistry to just one style of singing. She will be presenting her debut EP: EMPIRE, produced by grammy award winner Tiger X at Portland's Black Diamond Studios, to popular streaming sites in the fall of 2024. 

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Taylor currently shares a home in southwest Washington with her wonderful husband and beloved fur babies. When she is not working, she is usually spending ample time with loved ones, hiking in the wilderness, or nurturing her suburban homestead.