Soprano Nina Riley has delighted audiences with her distinctive timbre and spritely stage presence. A native of Yokohama, Japan, Nina was praised by the New York Times as “the kind of Despina one hopes for: diminutive, agile, and with just the right clear, slender soprano voice”.

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One of Nina's important projects were two solo Tohoku Relief benefit concerts entitled "Nina Riley Opera Night- Song, Love and Life", held in Tokyo and Fukushima, Japan. She paired these with an additional mini-concert at a temporary housing shelter for the victims of the tsunami in Fukushima. Her performances were praised in several articles by the Fukushima Minpo Newspaper. 

 

Nina's experiences range from touring all over China as the soloist with the Manhattan Symphonie, to performing many standard operatic roles with numerous opera companies in and around NYC.  She has also enjoyed exploring newer and unique works as an energetic advocate of contemporary music. Most recently she made an audio recording of the role of Kanoa in the new opera Island of the Moon by award winning composer Faye Chiao funded by the OPERA America's Opera Grants for Female Composers Program. She is also featured in an award winning operatic film short "Connection Lost: The Tinder Opera".  Nina also performed the role Gauchito in Gauchito and The Pony at the Kupferberg Center with the Queens Symphony Orchestra, and performed as the High Priestess in the critically acclaimed show- SAHARAVA at the NYC International FRINGE Festival. Nina’s voice can be heard on the album of composer Aya Nishina, “Flora”, with Tzadik Records produced by John Zorn.  Her voice is also heard singing in the award winning film Cherry Bloom. Other credits of which Nina is proud include singing the National Anthem for the Memorial Day parade in Chappaqua, New York. 

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Nina received both Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees at the Manhattan School of Music, where she studied with Joan Patenaude-Yarnell. 

Biography