Nina Warren is an internationally acclaimed artist, who has appeared in the most demanding interpretative dramatic parts on the stages of important theaters throughout the world. She has performed the title role in Salome with the Staatstheater Stuttgart, Baltimore Opera, Seattle Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Opera Pacific, as well as Dresden, Berlin, Frankfurt, Trieste, Antwerp, Ghent, Utah and Arizona and in concert with the Kölner Rundfunk Orchester, Bochum Symphony, Junge Deutsche Orchester with Lothar Zagrosek and at Indiana University with Julius Rudel.
Sopranos at Encompass Arts
*******
Romanian soprano, Irina Iordachescu, made her La Scala debut in 2007 as ZEYNO KARI in “Teneke” by Fabio Vacchi. Ermanno Olmi directed, Maestro Roberto Abbado conducted. In the 2010 season, Irina sang LIU in Sofia. She will return to Sofia to sing NEDDA and GILDA. In July and August of 2009, Irina sang GILDA in the Sankt Margarethen Festival in Austria. In November 2007, in Las Palmas and Ravenna, soprano Irina Iordachescu sang the role of IRENE from ‘Il ritorno di Don Calandrino’ by Domenico Cimarosa, an opera recently discovered by Maestro Riccardo Muti. The opera had the international premiere in the spring of 2007, in Salzburg. Maestro Riccardo Muti took the production on tour to Las Palmas at the TEATRO PEREZ GALDOS, Ravenna, Pisa and Piacenza followed in December 2007. Since 2005, soprano Irina Iordachescu has been a soloist of the Bucharest National Opera. At the Bucharest Opera, Ms. Lordachescu has sung LUCIA from Lucia di Lammermoor, GILDA from Rigoletto, NORINA from Don Pasquale, DOMIZIA from Decebalo by L. Leo, FIORDILIGI from Cosi fan tutte, PAMINA from Die Zauberflote , SUSANNA from Le nozze di Figaro , MUSETTA from La Boheme , VALENCIENNE from Die Lustige Witwe by F.Lehar.
Cheryl Studer’s startling and brilliant career began at a very early age. After studying voice during high school and college, her promising talent caught Leonard Bernstein’s attention; he gave her full scholarships to the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood, where she studied with Phyllis Curtin. She debuted at Tanglewood in 1976 in Bach’s _St.
Metropolitan Opera soprano, Irina Rindzuner, was born in Russia. She is quickly establishing herself as one of the world’s most versatile and expressive sopranos. Upcoming performances for Ms. Rindzuner include: Cio Cio San in Spain, Minnie (cover) with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Leonora in il Trovatore with the Linz Landestheater and Turandot in Saarbrueken.
Lisa Vroman starred for several years on Broadway as Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera. As Christine, she garnered Theatre Critic’s awards for the role in a record breaking run in San Francisco, and did a return engagement at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles. Ms. Vroman starred as Rosabella in The Most Happy Fella, making her New York City Opera debut with Paul Sorvino in the title role. This season Lisa made her Carnegie Hall debut with the New York Pops, starred as Lili Vanessi in Kiss Me Kate with Glimmerglass Opera, played Marian Paroo in The Music Man with Shirley Jones( Mrs. Paroo) and Patrick Cassidy( Harold Hill) at The Bushnell Theatre in Hartford; sang the role of Birdie in Regina with Utah Opera, conducted by Keith Lockhart; made her New Jersey Opera debut as Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus, (directed by Ira Siff), replacing MET soprano Ruth Ann Swenson, and premiered two Comic Operas (John Musto/ William Bolcum) with New York Festival of Song. Her Broadway debut was in Aspects of Love, and she is the first to play both Fantine and Cosette in Les Miserables. For PBS she was featured with Colm Wilkinson and Michael Ball in Cameron Mackintosh’s Hey, Mr. Producer! at the Lyceum Theatre in London, a Royal Gala attended by Queen Elizabeth, and sang the role of Johanna in the San Francisco Symphony’s Emmy award winning Sweeney Todd in Concert, with Patti Lupone and George Hearn. Both are available on DVD. Lisa starred as Laurey in Oklahoma filmed live in concert for the BBC’s PROMS festival at The Royal Albert Hall in London and starred as Mary Turner in Gershwin’s Of Thee I Sing/ Let ‘Em Eat Cake in concert with Michael Tilson Thomas conducting the San Francisco Symphony and Chorus, directed by Pat Birch.
Soprano Harolyn Blackwell is recognized for her expressive and exuberant performances, with a career that has spanned opera, concert and recital stages around the world. Following college, the Washington, D.C. native began her career on Broadway in Leonard Bernstein’s “West Side Story”. Shortly afterwards, she was selected as a finalist for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and her career path changed from musical theatre to opera. Since then, she has performed with many of the major national and international opera companies, and at festivals around the world, including Lyric Opera of Chicago, Glyndebourne Festival, Teatro Colon de Buenes Aires, Seattle Opera, Opera de Nice, Miami Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Aix-en-Provence Festival, Opera Orchestra of New York and New York’s Mostly Mozart Festival.
Much sought after for her portrayal of the Queen of the Night, Anna Vikre has appeared in Die Zauberflöte in Mexico City at Bellas Artes (televised live throughout South America), Florida Grand Opera, Opera Columbus, Connecticut Opera, Utah Festival Opera, Opera Memphis, Opera Pacific, Nashville Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and Stadttheater Geißen among others.
The versatile American singer Laura Pedersen brings to opera houses and to concert halls, an exciting lyric soprano voice, beauty and a rare ability to make each role come alive on stage.
Highlights for Laura Pedersen in the 2009-2010 season are premiers of Figaro’s Hangover and Tempo Fuori del Tempo at Weil Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. Laura will sing her first Donna Anna with the Satori Opera. Laura will also return to Indianapolis Opera as Musetta.
In the 2008-2009 season, Ms. Pedersen sang Musetta in La Boheme with Opera Cleveland, and Opera Delaware. She sang her first Antonia in Les Contes Hoffmann with the Indianapolis Opera. She also sang again with the Cleveland Orchestra in concert with MET tenor, Carl Tanner.
Soprano Sara Heaton is a semi-finalist in this year’s Competizione dell’opera in Dresden, was a finalist in the 2010 Giulio Gari competition, and a regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera competition in 2008. She had her professional opera debut as Despina in Così fan tutte with the Boston Baroque orchestra, led by conductor Martin Pearlman.
Australian- born, Claire Primrose, is a graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts where she studied violin and voice. She has won many awards and prizes including the ABC Vocal and Instrumental Competition, a Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Scholarship Award and Metropolitan Opera Auditions Regional Winner.
Dramatic soprano Susan Neves has been internationally acclaimed in theaters such as the Opera Bastille in Paris, the Metropolitan Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Gran Teatro del Liceu in Barcelona ,L’Arena di Verona and many others as a thrilling singing actress. Neves commands a repertoire of some of the most challenging roles written for soprano. She has won particular acclaim as a Verdi soprano of the first rank as her Verdi repertoire is uncommonly vast and includes Abigaille in Nabucco, Lady Macbeth in Macbeth, Odabella in Attila, Elvira in Ernani, Leonora in Il Trovatore and La Forza del Destino, Amelia in Un Ballo in Maschera, Elisabetta di Valois in Don Carlo, the title role of Aida and Alice Ford in Falstaff. She has been especially identified with the role of Abigaille which has played a significant part in her career and which she has sung all over the world including a new production in 2000 at the Deutsche Oper under Marcello Viotti, in two revivals at the Bastille in Paris, in Montreal, Santiago, Parma, Genoa, Liege, Munich, Cagliari, Bilbao, at the Arena di Verona, Bologna, Monte Carlo ( where she also sang Aida ) and the outdoor festivals in Nimes and the Choregies d’Orange, the Metropolitan Opera and the Vienna State Opera.
The press has hailed her as “…a star of tomorrow, today…” They’ve said, “… when she sings, all she has to do is open her mouth and the notes spill out sweetly and effortlessly.” Regis Philbin called her “A beautiful operatic singer…boy oh boy, is she great! She’s really amazing!” In June Melissa Zapin sang a concert with Marcello Giordani at the Fresno Opera House, fresh off her solo Carnegie Hall debut in Mozart’s Vesperae Solennes de Consessore. Her recent roles include The Countess in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and covering Desdemona in Verdi’s Otello with the Vero Beach Opera. She kicked off her year with a private operatic concert for Donald Trump and his guests at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach. In October Melissa will be singing the role of Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni with the Satori Opera.
American spinto soprano Christina Lamberti has gained international attention with versatility of repertoire, gleaming tone, and soulful presence. She has not only garnered attention from portrayals at notable companies such as San Francisco Opera and Singapore Lyric Opera, but has also had a long standing relationship with the innovative Theatre Regensburg in Germany since 2006.
Erica Miller, soprano, made her European debut in the fall of 2008 singing Königin der Nacht in Die Zauberflöte with the Deutsche Oper Berlin. This is becoming her signature role, as she has also performed Königin at Opera North and most recently at the Festival Internacional de Música de Almansa in Spain last July. For the 2008-2009 season, Ms.