Nina Dante is a vocalist, lever harpist, composer, researcher, and teacher. She lives in the landscape of the Pacific Northwest, which is a source of endless fascination and inspiration for her work. She specializes in the performance of contemporary classical and experimental music; and as part of her social media-based project The Snake Said to the River, Nina performs folk and historical music, recites stories, and delves into aspects of historical reenactment.

Nina’s social media-based project The Snake Said to the River is a celebration of traditional and historical music, folkways, historical reenactment, and the natural world. As The Snake Said to the River, Nina performs music on voice and harp; shares stories and poems; offers insight into language with a focus on Old and Middle English; and explores aspects of historical reenactment including historical recipe reconstruction and handicrafts. Join her on Instagram and YouTube @thesnakesaidtotheriver.

Nina’s work as an performer of contemporary classical and experimental music, as well as her practice as an improvisor is guided by the continual unearthing of the voice’s extended abilities, and curiosity about the voice’s role in human expression and our interaction with the natural world throughout time. She is co-founder and soprano of the contemporary classical chamber ensemble Fonema Consort, which performs chamber music for voice and ensemble, with a special focus on the music of Latin American composers. Her recordings with Fonema Consort can be found on New Focus Recordings and Parlour Tapes+.

Hailed for her “amazing performance of vocal versatility by a uniquely gifted young artist” (Chicago Classical Review), Nina has performed at/for the São Paulo Contemporary Composers Festival, Long Beach Opera, Resonant Bodies Festival, BAM, Lampo, Issue Project Room, Roulette, the Kitchen, National Sawdust, the University of Chicago’s Contempo, the Mexican Cultural Institute, Performa, Indexical, Visiones Sonoras, Museo Universitario de Arte Contemporaneo, the Experimental Sound Studio, the 113 New Music Festival, New Music Miami, the Latino Music Festival, the Frequency Festival, Festival Interfaz, the Poetry Foundation, and the Renaissance Society, among others.

With Fonema Consort and as a soloist, Dante has given been in residence and given performances at Oberlin Conservatory, Columbia University, Harvard University, UC Berkeley, Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, Scripps College, UNAM, the 113 Composers Collective, and New England Conservatory, among others.

Dante graduated magna cum laude from Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Performance. She is a classically trained vocalist and pianist, and a folk harpist, and offers private virtual lessons for these three instruments. With over a decade of teaching experience, Dante believes that joy, curiosity, and expansive expression are at the heart of music-learning.