“Talented and bubbly, bursting with the goods.” — Craig Rutenberg, Former Music Director of the Metropolitan Opera
“Spellbinding” — Hancock Herald
“Litha’s impeccable pitch and dramatic talent propels her beyond so many of her peers.” — Johanna Simpson, Conductor
Litha Ashforth, coloratura soprano and composer, is one of the most promising artists of her generation. Her vocal agility and artistic versatility have garnered her many accolades, including the Performing Arts Scholarship Foundation at the Music Academy of the West, the Maestro Award from the WorldStrides Heritage Festival, and the New England Conservatory of Music’s Entrepreneurial Musicianship Grant.
Ashforth has been featured in title and lead roles spanning a wide range of repertoire. Recent appearances include the role of Gretel in Humperdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel”, Olympia in Offenbach’s “Tales of Hoffman,” Adele in Strauss’ “Die Fledermaus,” and Angelina in Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Trial by Jury.” A strong advocate of new music, Ashforth was engaged in more than a dozen premieres over the past year, and this spring she will sing the title role in “Vespa” by Don DiNicola in a set of world premiere performances across New York City.
A composer and sound designer exploring new intersections of technology and the human voice, Ashforth has created a series of novel wearable electronic garments for stage performance. As part of her ongoing collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ashforth built “The Vest,” a shirt which receives haptic feedback for live sonic engagement, and “The Talking Stick,” a tree which requires the touch of multiple musicians for sounds to be produced electronically. In addition to works for the concert stage, Ashforth also composes for theatre and film. Current projects include an original score for a new play, Talking with Angels: Budapest 1943, premiering at NYC’s Theaterlab in the spring.
A further complement to Ashforth’s musical activities is her background in drama and dance. Noticed by actor Shia Labeouf, Ashforth performed in his theatre troupe, Slauson Rec, in a series of shows in Los Angeles, CA. In 2023, she established herself as an actor on New York’s theatre scene through her portrayal of the lead role in the play “Order” at HERE Arts Center. Ashforth has also been featured in a music video by the Plain White T’s, and played the lead in an Emmy Award-winning educational series, Circles.
Born and raised in Santa Barbara, California, Ashforth had her official debut at Santa Barbara’s Granada Theatre at the age of 8. She received her Bachelor of Music under the tutelage of Carole Haber from Boston’s New England Conservatory in 2023. Ashforth is currently based between Berlin and NYC.
Past Highlights
Premieres