Welcome to my website and thank you for checking it out.

As you will see, my passions are singing, teaching and producing. My parents, Deena and Ted Puffer, founded and ran Nevada Opera for 35 years. I grew up studying and performing with them and began teaching my father's vocal technique at 18.

This last year has been a successful year in all of my professional activities and I'm excited about the future.

The audio clips above are live performances of pieces written for me by composer Christian McLeer.

Latest News

Long Island Songs was recently released and we got a great review on Sequenza21.

RTB's 3rd "Opera Shorts" at Weill-Carnegie Hall was a huge success - we sold out again and had scalpers! Following that, I performed at the International Electroacoustic Music Festival in Brooklyn.

Now on the way to perform at Arts & Ideas concert series at Lewis University, then to direct Amahl for Nevada Opera.

My Bio

Originally from Reno, NV, Monica grew up back stage in an opera company founded by her parents, Ted and Deena Puffer. She was in her first opera at 3 years old and studied violin and dance until she was old enough to study voice with her father at 16.

Living in NYC for the past 17 years, Monica sings, teaches and runs her own company, Remarkable Theater Brigade (RTB), which she founded with Christian McLeer and Dan Jeselsohn. RTB produces contemporary operas, musicals and concerts with special programs for at-risk and special-needs children. RTB's Opera Shorts at Weill-Carnegie Hall sold out for the past 2 years with composers such as John Corigliano, Tania Leon, Tom Cipullo, and Mark Adamo all present and participating in the production. Next year's production will include Jake Heggie, William Bolcom, Davide Zannoni and more.

Monica has performed more than 25 coloratura roles in the standard operatic repertoire and many world premieres. She has also sung numerous concerts throughout North America and Europe. Fall 2011, she has performed in concert for Nevada Opera and the role of Alcina for Satori Opera. She will also perform with RTB for Opera Shorts at Weill-Carnegie Hall, Livewire 2011 in Baltimore and the Arts & Ideas concert series in Illinois.

Monica is the soprano soloist on 2007 CD release "McLeer's Requiem" (now available on iTunes) and is the featured soloist on the CD "Songs from Another Place" (released 2009) and "Long Island Songs" for MSR Classics label (released 2010). Monica recorded Tom Cipullo's "Going" for his "Landscape with Figures" CD on Albany.

Monica's students are having great success at the professional and young artist levels. They are currently singing with major opera companies including The Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera and Washington National Opera as well as young artist programs such as Glimmerglass, Des Moines Metro, and St. Louis Opera.

A Few Reviews

Fanfare Magazine review of "Long Island Songs" CD:
"[Harte] has a good feeling for these works, and seems to understand the inherent context of each song, and shows excellent dramatic instincts according to the particular textual situation."

Fanfare Magazine review of "Songs From Another Place" CD:
"Monica Harte is in possession of a small, but exquisitely controlled vocal instrument she uses to delve into the hearts of these texts with uncanny powers of penetration, providing us with three journeys into truly other places.

Tom Philpott, Author
"What a performance! You brought Young Alyce to vibrant life."

Tom Nissley, The Ridgelea Reports
"Monica Harte's magnificent Rosa Sacco will go home with you..."

La Nouvelle Republique & Centre Presse
"an unusually endearing performer... a consummate artist".

HippoPress, Manchester, NH
"As Yum-Yum, Monica Harte uses a piping soprano voice and a blank expression... perfect for a land where suicide is a capital offense."

Lea Frey, Opera-L
"Monica Harte... in the subrette role of Adele, her coloratura unforced and facile... her acting charming as the flighty, conniving maid."

Jack Neal, Reno Gazette Journal
"Monica Harte stopped the show with her delightfully absurd portrayal of Olympia... Harte's characterization is perfection in every way."