Biography

Nyela Basney

Conductor

Founder and director for 21 years of Orvieto Musica, conductor Nyela Basney recently received critical acclaim for her debut with Light Opera Works when Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune noted: "... the striking and lively baton of Nyela Basney, [who] shapes this orchestra rather more theatrically and zestfully than has recently been the case..." The Chicago Sun-Times added, of the same performances: "...and the glorious sound coming from the large orchestra under the baton of Nyela Basney combine[d] to give [this production] fiery intensity..." 
Ms. Basney returned to appear with Light Opera Works in December, 2014, conducting The Merry Widow with Stacey Tappan in the title role.  Of these performances, James Murray of Theatre in Chicago wrote:  "Under the baton of conductor Nyela Basney the orchestra provides the lush, full sound that, combined with the singers, soars and gives Lehar’s score flight."

In April of 2015, Ms. Basney returned to Bosnia  for the second time, to conduct the Sarajevo Philharmonic  leading the European premiere of Jacob Banck's "Lumen" both in Sarajevo and in Brcko.  And in June she made her debut with Operafestival di Roma, conducting Suor Angelica and Le Nozze di Figaro.  She then travels to Scotland in August to lead multiple performances of Persuasion with Chamber Opera Chicago at the Edinborough Fringe Festival.

Ms. Basney toured England in the summers of 2013 and 2014 conducting performances of Persuasion on the Isle of Wight, at the Theatre Royal Windsor, in Bury St. Edmunds, Winchester, Bath, Margate and at the Theatre Royal Brighton.  In addition, during September 2013 she led critically acclaimed standing room only performances of Persuasion at the Royal George Theatre in Chicago and the DiCapo Opera Theatre in New York City. 

In June 2011, 2012 and 2013, she conducted annual productions of Cosi fan tutte, Don Giovanni and Le Nozze di Figaro with Opera Tascabile in Orvieto, Italy and also led a performance of Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the Allegro Chorale and Orchestra in Midland-Odessa, Texas.  She is the Artistic Director of Opera at North Park University in Chicago where she conducted performances of Suor Angelica and Offenbach's Ba-Ta-Clan in 2014. 

In the early 2000's Nyela Basney was Music Director of the Midland-Odessa Symphony and Chorale with whom she conducted Masterworks, Pops and headliner concerts, as well as Tiny Tots, educational and run-out performances. She also guest conducts, having worked with the Springfield (MA) Symphony, Toledo Symphony, Virginia Symphony, Massapequa Philharmonic and Glens Falls Symphony in community and pops concerts. She was Associate Conductor with El Paso Opera from 2000-2009 and conducted Britten's Rape of Lucretia at Colorado State University in 2007.

As Associate Conductor of the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra in the 1990's, Ms. Basney conducted over 60 concerts a season throughout northwest Louisiana. She has also guest conducted the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra in a series of community concerts, and in a Gala Benefit Concert with Metropolitan Opera star Renée Fleming at the Eastman Theater. As Assistant Conductor with the American Symphony Orchestra she conducted the ASO in Avery Fisher Hall and appeared with the ASO and Peter Schickele at Alice Tully Hall in a series of Red, White and Blue Jean concerts.  She served as cover conductor for John Nelson at the National Symphony and for Andrew Litton at the Dallas Symphony. She began her conducting studies with Vincent La Selva, "the best Verdi and Puccini conductor living today" (Opera Magazine) when she was a staff pianist at the Juilliard School.  He appointed her Assistant Conductor and Chorus Master of the New York Grand Opera with whom she participated in 18 productions.

Ms. Basney recently gave recitals in Colorado and Illinois with noted Italian violinist Alessandro Cervo.  She attended the Eastman School of Music on a coveted Alumni Scholarship, receiving her undergraduate and graduate degrees with highest distinction.