Bio
Praised as an “extraordinary low soprano of richness and depth” (David Bratman, San Mateo Daily Journal), Mezzo-Soprano Shauna Fallihee has the pleasure of serving Bay Area singers and audiences as a soloist, ensemble singer, and educator.
A frequent concert soloist, Shauna has sung the alto solos in Bach’s Mass in B Minor with San Francisco Bach Choir, Beethoven’s Mass in C with Masterworks Chorale and Stanford Symphonic Chorus, Mahler Lieder eines fahrendes Gesellen with Holy Names Community Orchestra, Vivaldi’s Gloria with Berkeley Women’s Community Chorus, Pergolesi Stabat Mater at CSU Chico, Bach Weinachtsoratorium at Swedenborgian Church, and recently made her Davies Symphony Hall solo debut as the alto soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with San Francisco Choral Society. Upcoming concert engagements include Elgar Sea Pictures with Oakland Civic Orchestra, the alto solos in Handel’s Messiah with Valley Concert Chorale and Haydn Lord Nelson Mass with Soli Deo Gloria.
Formerly a soprano, Shauna’s repertoire included Monterverdi's Vespers of 1610, Mozart's Requiem, and Mass in C Minor, Schubert's Masses in Eb and Ab, Vaughan Williams' Dona Nobis Pacem, and Bach's Mass in b minor with San Francisco Choral Society. Her 2015 performance of Mozart's Vesperae Solennes de Confessore was praised as "stunning, with clear tone and artful phrasing" (Be'eri Moalem, San Francisco Classical Voice). Shauna was also heard as the soprano soloist in Mozart's Coronation Mass, excerpts of Handel's Messiah, Saint-Saëns' Christmas Oratorio, and Fauré's Requiem with Masterworks Chorale.
A frequent recitalist, Shauna recently presented a program of Milhaud and Poulenc at Mills College. For the noontime concert series at Old St. Mary’s Cathedral San Francisco, Shauna offered a program of Barber’s Hermit Songs and John Harbison’s Mirabai Songs for which she was described as “clearly comfortable with Barber’s unabashed Americanism. Indeed, she seemed to have found just the right tone for her voice to balance the almost conversational folk style with the more polished sonorities suitable for recital. (Stephan Smoliar, San Francisco Examiner). Her solo recital of Wolf and Debussy was hailed as "one of the most intelligently conceived recital programs of the season; and every aspect of its execution lived up to the ambitious goals of its overall plan" (Stephan Smoliar, SF Examiner).
An enthusiastic advocate of new music, Shauna has performed numerous world premieres including Poems of Yosano Akiko by Alden Jenks, Mark Winges’ Leaves from Diana’s Tree with Empyrian Ensemble, and Brian Baumbusch’s The Pressure with Lightbulb Ensemble. Shauna had the distinct honor of creating the role of Electra in Anne Hege’s The Furies: A Laptopera with Stanford Laptop Orchestra, the first of its kind. Shauna has collaborated with composer Nancy Bachmann to premiere her micro-opera A Remarkably Capable Woman as well as Dawn and Night Sprite for voice, piano and cello. In the West Coast premiere of Olli Kortekangas' Seven Songs for Planet Earth with San Francisco Choral Society, her "agility and incisive emergence out of the orchestral texture were both riveting" (Kaneez Munjee, San Francisco Classical Voice). Shauna has also sung numerous premieres with the San Francisco Composer’s Chamber Orchestra.
Shauna enjoyed over ten years with acclaimed contemporary chamber choir, Volti under the direction of Robert Geary. With Volti, Shauna was a soloist in the 2015 premiere of Mark Winges's staged work Pandora's Gift as well as the 2013 West Coast premiere of David Lang's Battle Hymns.
As an ensemble singer, Shauna has the great pleasure of singing with San Francisco Symphony Chorus (AGMA), American Bach Soloists, Philharmonia Baroque Chorale, and Cantata Collective. In 2024, she will sing the inaugural concerts of the new ensemble Vox Humana, directed by Don Scott Carpenter. She has previously performed with Artists Vocal Ensemble (AVE), Pacific Collegium, San Francisco Renaissance Voices, San Francisco Lyric Opera, Tanglewood Festival Chorus.
Shauna’s performance of Jenny Olivia Johnson's Reflect, Reflect, Respond, Respond with SF-based new music ensemble Ninth Planet (formerly Wild Rumpus) was recently released on Pinna records. As an ensemble singer, recordings include Bach St. John Passion (Avie Records) with Cantata Collective under the direction of Nic McGegan, Bach Motets for Double Chorus with American Bach Soloists, and The Color of There Seen From Here (2019), This is what Happened (2017), and Turn the Page (2010) with Volti.
Shauna is in demand as a voice teacher and clinician in the San Francisco Bay Area. Shauna currently serves on the voice faculties of Las Positas and Chabot Colleges, formerly holding posts at Holy Names University and City College San Francisco. She has served as the Coordinator of Vocal Pedagogy and Master Voice Instructor for the acclaimed Piedmont East Bay Children's Choir and voice instructor for Acalanes, Campolindo, and Miramonte High Schools. As a clinician, Shauna has taught workshops to San Francisco Choral Society, Masterworks Chorale, Tactus, International Orange Chorale, Berkeley Community Chorus and Embodied Communication workshops at Stanford and UCLA Law Schools.
In addition to voice instruction, Shauna teaches alignment-based Barre for Honor Barre (formerly The Dailey Method). Shauna has trained Dailey Method owners and instructors on music and voice-related topics, ultimately becoming Master Teacher Trainer for Dailey Cycle. Shauna holds certifications in yoga and myofascial release and has over 750 hours of yoga, anatomy, alignment, and movement training.
In 2018, Shauna unveiled her multi-disciplinary program Embodied Singer with a sold out workshop series. Since its inception, Shauna has taught numerous workshops, clinics, and created over 100 videos of movement, myofascial release (self-massage) and meditation practices designed to help singers balance their singing minds and bodies for greater expressive artistry.
Shauna has shared Embodied Singer practices and perspectives on numerous podcasts including The Aligned Musician Podcast, The Mindful Musician Podcast, The Moved to Meditate Podcast, Star Singer Podcast, Thriving Rockstar Podcast, and The Working Singer Podcast. Her writings have been featured in Chorus America and CorpSonore.
Shauna received her early training with the Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir, followed by a B.M. in Voice Performance (with distinction in performance) from the New England Conservatory of Music as a scholarship student of Carole Haber. She pursued graduate work in Musicology at the University of New Hampshire. Shauna holds an M.M. in Vocal Pedagogy from Holy Names University and is a member of the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA).