SopranoKathleen Berger: Arizona native Kathleen Berger,
soprano, most recently debuted with St. Petersburg Opera in Florida as the Witch inInto
the Woods
("Kathleen Berger's Witch came into her glamorous own in Act 2 with a
spellbinding Last Midnight" - "St.
Petersburg Times, September 13, 2009) and appeared as Jenny Lind in "the
Pervasive Echo,"a performance art piece
by Ruth Sacks for the Performa Music Festival in New York City. She returned to
Compania Lirica Dolores Marco as a soloist in Zarzuelas y Revistas,
celebrating the music of Maestro Alonso, at Teatro Fernan Gomez in Madrid. She
sang her first Queen of the Night in Die
Zauberfloete with Opera Divertimento in Extremadura, Spain. With tenor
Guillermo Orozco and pianist Angel Andres, she appeared in two sold-out
concerts for the Real Sociedad Economica del Pais in Jaen, Spain, following her
equally successful appearance there in October 2008. In February 2009, she
appeared in concert with pianist Eric Malson at the West Valley Art Museum in
Phoenix, Arizona, and with Holy Family Concerts in Hicksville, New York.
Previously, she made her return to musical theater as the Witch in Into the Woods with Fountain Hills
Theatre in Arizona. She appeared as the first American artist to perform with
Compania Lirica Dolores Marco in Madrid, in the zarzuela spectacular El
Gran Genero Chico, celebrating the centennial of composer Federico
Chueca. She then traveled to Ecija, Spain, to give a recital as part of the
festival "Musica en los Palacios." In addition, she stepped in on twenty-four
hours' notice to replace an ailing soprano as Violetta in the Jefferson County
Performing Arts Society's production of La traviata, a role she has sung
more than twenty times.
In the summer of 2007, Ms. Berger gave
a recital tour, performing to standing-room-only crowds throughout the Castilla
y Leon region in Spain, as the first classical artist to perform with the
festival Musicos en la Naturaleza ("The great interpretive gifts of Kathleen
Berger served to put the public in her pocket, ensuring that the audience
supported the singer from the first moment.But in addition to her charm, one cannot overlook the extraordinary
quality of her voice, perfectly seconded at the piano by her compatriot Eric
Malson." - La Gaceta de Salamanca, July 24, 2007).As a result, she was featured as the cover
artist of the magazine "Con M de Musica," a publication of "El Mundo," and
therein gave an interview about her role in the festival.She appeared as Musetta in La bohemeto critical acclaim with Concerlirica Opera Internacional at the
Teatro Municipal de La Velada in Linea de la Concepcion and in the 4,000-seat
Palacio de Deportes in Salamanca, and repeated her Violetta at Teatro Jose Maria Rodero in Torrejon de Ardoz,
alongside tenor Francisco Sanchez and baritone Luis Santana.
In 2006, Ms. Berger sang her first Lucia
di Lammermoor with Concerliica Opera Internacional in Torremolinos and
Marbella, Spain ("Particularly celebrated by the public were the works
of...Victor Lemko, in charge of the musical direction...but especially the
brilliance of the invited soloist who played the role of Lucia, the North American soprano Kathleen Berger." -Torremolinos Noticias, September 15, 2006).2006 also marked her debut as Violetta in La traviata, which she
performed to sold out houses throughout Spain with Opera 2001 "Kathleen
Berger...threw herself perfectly into the character of Violetta and lived and communicated her pain, her disillusionment
and her resignation...she was without fail absolutely correct and secure in all
her phrasing, with thrilling moments such as "Amami, Alfredo" or the
awaited "Sempre libera," where she reached the E flat easily."-
Miguel A. Nepomuceno, Opera Actual, April 2006).Immediately thereafter, she repeated the role
with the festival La Musica Lirica in Novafeltria, Italy. She collaborated with
conductor Gaetano Soliman and the Ukranian National Orchestra for concerts in
celebration of Christmas and New Year's Eve ("At their service was the American
soprano Kathleen Berger, specializing in oratorio compositions.Her interpretations of works like the "Ave
Maria" of Bach and "Rejoice greatly, o daughter of Zion" from Handel's Messiahwere given a great response from the numerous audience members, who
endorsed her with strong ovations." - Diario de Burgos, January 3, 2007).She returned to the US to appear as Giovanna in Verdi's Ernaniwith American Opera Theater in Palm Springs, California, appearing
alongside such Metropolitan Opera artists as Elizabeth Blancke-Biggs and Stuart
Neill, under the baton of Michael Recchiuti.
Upcoming appearances include further performances of Zarzuelas
y revistas with Compania Lirica Dolores Marco and a recital in Fountain
Hills, AZ and Huelva, Spain.
