Music of Lisa Neher

Music powerhouse Dr. Lisa Neher (she/her, “NEER”) is an award-winning composer, mezzo-soprano, and actress on a mission to transform audiences through sound, story, and vulnerability.

Described as a “visionary composer” (Willamette Week), “maestro of beautifully wacky noises” (Oregon Arts Watch), and a composer of “varied and imitable ”vocal lines (Contemporary Classical), Neher writes music inspired by female athleticism, the tender love of friends, the ambiguities of death, and the eerie mystery of deep ocean life.

Her EP *Of Wind and Waves* explores the currents of air, water, and emotions that define our natural and psychological world. Her major song cycle *No One Saves the Earth from Us But Us,* featured on the 2022 Earth Day Art Model festival and at the International Alliance for Women in Music Conference, addresses the climate crisis with unflinching clarity and directness. 

 Photo Credit: Antonia Rose Photography

Neher has been commissioned and performed by Third Angle New Music, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Cincinnati Song Initiative, Alma Ensemble, Opera Elect, Opera Theatre Oregon, Dinosaur Annex, Fear No Music, and Opera Santa Barbara, among others.

She is the winner of the ICDA/ICF Choral Competition and the Mirror Visions Ensemble Young Composer Competition, and was a NATS Composer Mentee, working with Tom Cipullo.


Praised as “a small woman with a very big voice” and “especially alive” (Oregon Arts Watch), Neher captivates audiences as a performer with her electrifying dramatic commitment and unforgettable vocal colours

Her performance credits include Third Angle New Music, Really Spicy Opera, Portland Columbia Symphony Orchestra, Opera Theatre Oregon, New Music Gathering, Resonance Ensemble, Experiments in Opera, Renegade Opera, and Big Mouth Society. She is a member of Portland Opera Chorus.