Zoë Chessa is an American soprano based in Baltimore, Maryland. She is an enthusiastic interpreter of early music, opera, Jewish music, and choral repertoire. Seeking to breathe new life into melodies of the past, Zoë approaches historical music with a fresh perspective of continual wonder in the 21st century.  

Recently, Zoë has appeared as a soprano soloist with the Charlotte Bach Festival, as well in the festival’s productions of Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas and Handel’s Theodora as an ensemble member. Other recent operatic performances include the role of Dorinda in the modern world premiere of Reutter’s Dafne with Amherst Early Music Festival, Satirino in Cavalli’s La Calisto with Peabody Opera at the Baltimore Theater Project, Mercury in The Judgement of Paris at Shenandoah Bach Festival, Cleonilla in Vivaldi’s Ottone in Villa at Carnegie Mellon University, and the First Spirit in Mozart’s The Magic Flute with Pittsburgh Opera. Other roles include Clarice in Die Welt auf dem Monde with the Middlebury College German for Singers program and Lepido in Handel’s Silla at Chicago Summer Opera (2021). An avid ensemble singer, Zoë has sung with the Peabody Camerata, NEXT ensemble, and in student collaborations with Blue Heron and Lorelei ensemble under the direction of Dr. Beth Willer. She also sings with the Peabody Renaissance Ensemble and DUALIS ensemble in Baltimore. 

Also a Jewish musician and cantorial soloist, Zoe produces thoughtful and creative work building on the tradition of Hazzanut. She received the Kate Neal Kinley Fellowship and a Peabody Launch Grant towards pursuing research in medieval Jewish music of the Levant, and recently produced a concert series with her ensemble exploring Near-Eastern Jewish Piyyutim entitled “The Golden Thread.” A lover of languages, she has studied Italian, German, French, Hebrew, and Russian. She is a three-time recipient of the Max Kade scholarship, which has funded her German language studies abroad in Freiburg and Berlin. Zoë is a Pi Kappa Lambda Music Honor Society Member in the Theta Xi Division and a recipient of the Derdeyn Scholarship in Voice. Zoë was a finalist in the Annapolis Opera Competition in 2023, and received the Encouragement Award at the Handel Aria Competition in 2026.

Zoë holds an M.M. in Historical Performance in Voice from the Peabody Institute, where she studied with Randall Scarlata, and a B.F.A. in Vocal Performance from Carnegie Mellon University under Sari Gruber. When she is not singing, Zoë loves spending time learning languages, reading, and playing with her two orange kittens. She is originally from El Paso, Texas.