Dorcas Giles Simmer
Soprano Giles Simmer is a young, exciting talent who has been singing professionally for nearly a decade. She began singing while growing up in Atlanta, GA and during her teen years was privileged to sing under such conductors as Paul Salamunovich, Raymond Chenault, James Oliverio and Robert Spano at multiple venues in the metro-Atlanta area. It was through these opportunities that she discovered her true love and joy in vocal performance.
Upon venturing to Michigan to pursue undergraduate studies, Giles received the Howard Music Scholarship and L.A. Weichselfelder Scholarship from Hillsdale College and became an active member of Sigma Alpha Iota, the on-campus honorary music sorority. Since graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Performance and moving to southeast Michigan, Giles has concentrated on the sacred aspects and genre of singing. She continues her affiliation with Sigma Alpha Iota through the Detroit Alumni Chapter, most recently serving as their 2008-2010 Vice President, Membership. She has performed with the Arbor Opera Theatre, the Rackham 
Symphony Chorus, the Comic Opera Guild and the Michigan Opera Theatre. Her performances have included Lucia di Lammermoore, Carmen, Carmina Burana and The Red Mill as Tina.
Most recently, Giles’s pursuit of vocal performance and study have brought her to the Opera Maya 2013 summer program in Riviera Maya, Mexico, where she spent six weeks at the Regional Opera Company & Summer Festival in an intensive program of study. She was also privileged to attend the American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) in Graz, Austria, enhancing her vocal performance and language skills in an intensive 6-week program during July/August 2013. Giles is thrilled to add these life-changing and instructive experiences to her repertoire.
