Vocalist Alyson Cambridge is an acclaimed soprano who got her start as a member of the Metropolitan Opera. While primarily a trained opera singer, Cambridge grew up listening to a variety of music, from pop to R&B and jazz. Born in Arlington, Virginia in 1980 to a Guyanese father and Danish-American mother, Cambridge initially started taking vocal lessons after a friend suggested the idea upon hearing her jokingly pretend to sing opera. While clearly a natural talent, Cambridge split much of her time in high school focusing on academics and playing soccer, all the while taking private vocal lessons. After high school, she earned a double major in music and prelaw from Oberlin College. However, it wasn't until her senior year at Oberlin, graduating with honors from the music conservatory, that Cambridge decided to pursue singing full-time. She was accepted into the Curtis Institute, where she spent a year furthering her vocal studies before winning an audition to enter the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. In 2004, Cambridge made her Met debut, appearing as Fraquita in a production of Carmen. Several more secondary roles followed, including playing Giannetta in L'Elisir d'Amore and Bianca in La Rondine, among others. From there, she moved on to roles with other companies, including playing Guilietta in The Tales of Hoffmann with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Juliette in Romeo et Juliette at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and Clara in Porgy and Bess at the Washington National Opera. Cambridge made her recording debut in 2010 with playwright Sandra Seaton and composer William Bolcom's song cycle From the Diary of Sally Hemings. Three years later, she won plaudits for her starring turn as Julie in the Washington National Opera production of Showboat. In 2016, Cambridge released her first proper solo album with the jazz standards and American popular song-based Until Now. ~ Matt Collar, Rovi