Heralded as a “strong, edgy mezzo,” Rena Ahmed is making a name for herself in the Chicago theater and opera scene. She is a versatile actress and singer who has the ability to portray a variety of different roles. Her portrayal of Madame Flora in The Medium was described as “inspired” and she painted “an aptly discomfiting portrait of this bitter and unpleasant woman, conveying the existential dread and terror of Flora’s final monologue.” In 2014 she appeared as Costanze in the Chicago Reader-recommended production of Enchanted April where Jack Helbig said the cast excelled at “delivering intense, believable performances.”
She has been a favorite with Music by the Lake in Williams Bay, WI, where she appeared in Brigadoon, Amahl and the Night Visitors, and Music in the Air, as well as several holiday concerts. Her operatic roles include Principessa (Suor Angelica), Mother (Amahl and the Night Visitors), and Suzuki (Madama Butterfly) while her musical theater credits include Lucy (Snoopy! The Musical), The Baker’s Wife (Into the Woods), Agnes Gooch (Mame), and Golde (Fiddler on the Roof). Ms. Ahmed also performs frequently with Main Street Cabaret. Additionally, she is often a guest artist with various performing arts festivals and concert series in the Chicago area, where she has been heard in such works as Handel’s Messiah and the Mozart Missa Brevis in D, as well as numerous benefit recitals and opera highlights concerts.
Ms. Ahmed earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Voice, Theater, and Italian from the Indiana University School of Music. She currently resides in the Chicago area with her husband, Jonathan. It has been suggested that her flair for the dramatic might be linked to her colorful ancestry. Ms. Ahmed is directly descended from the last emperor of the Mughal Dynasty, who can be traced back to Genghis Khan. Some of her other ancestors include the warlord Tamerlane and Emperor Shah Jahan, who commissioned the building of the Taj Mahal.
She has been a favorite with Music by the Lake in Williams Bay, WI, where she appeared in Brigadoon, Amahl and the Night Visitors, and Music in the Air, as well as several holiday concerts. Her operatic roles include Principessa (Suor Angelica), Mother (Amahl and the Night Visitors), and Suzuki (Madama Butterfly) while her musical theater credits include Lucy (Snoopy! The Musical), The Baker’s Wife (Into the Woods), Agnes Gooch (Mame), and Golde (Fiddler on the Roof). Ms. Ahmed also performs frequently with Main Street Cabaret. Additionally, she is often a guest artist with various performing arts festivals and concert series in the Chicago area, where she has been heard in such works as Handel’s Messiah and the Mozart Missa Brevis in D, as well as numerous benefit recitals and opera highlights concerts.
Ms. Ahmed earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Voice, Theater, and Italian from the Indiana University School of Music. She currently resides in the Chicago area with her husband, Jonathan. It has been suggested that her flair for the dramatic might be linked to her colorful ancestry. Ms. Ahmed is directly descended from the last emperor of the Mughal Dynasty, who can be traced back to Genghis Khan. Some of her other ancestors include the warlord Tamerlane and Emperor Shah Jahan, who commissioned the building of the Taj Mahal.