Praised for her magnetic stage presence and vocal versatility, Ashley West-Davis is a crossover artist and educator who regularly performs in both opera and musical theatre. Ashley began singing with Opera Carolina as a Resident Artist in 2019, as the Apparition in Verdi’s Macbeth. She has appeared with the company as a soloist in the successful iStream NOW series, the annual St. Nektarios Christmas concert, and in various pop up concerts around the Charlotte area. Last season, she sang in the ensembles for both The Falling and the Rising and Aida with Opera Carolina, and served as a Faculty Guest Artist at Winthrop University as the Witch in Hansel and Gretel.
Previous opera Credits include Die Zauberflöte (Dritte Dame), Hänsel und Gretel (Hänsel), The Merry Widow (Olga), Hand of Bridge (Geraldine), The Mikado, Suor Angelica, and L’elisir d’amore. Ashley has performed as a soloist with the Lubbock Chorale, La Musica Lirica, Operafestival di Roma, Manhattan Opera Studio, and in concerts at the National Opera Center and Carnegie Hall. In 2022, she served as Vocal Coach for the premiere of Here There Be Dragons, an off-Broadway musical at the Players Theatre in New York City. Favorite musical theatre credits include The Rocky Horror Show (Magenta), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Truly Scrumptious), Spring Awakening (Wendla), and You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown (Lucy).
Ashley holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from Texas Tech University, a Master of Music from New York University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theatre from Coker University. Her dissertation, “Dominick Argento’s Miss Manners on Music: A Performance Guide for Singers” explores the preparation and performance of contemporary art song, with a focus on Argento’s work in particular. Ashley currently maintains a private studio and teaches voice at Winthrop University.