Opera

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Foreboding nuns, angry witches and other fun stuff in opera

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June 2014

On November 21 and 22, I'm singing the lead role of Madame de Croissy (Contralto) in Opera Sacra's production ofDialogues des carmélites (in English). This kicks off their 40th Anniversary year; Carmelites was Opera Sacra's first production 40 years ago, so I'm proud to be a part of this great event -- one of my favorite composers no less! UPDATE: I'm no longer singing Friday 26th September for The Opera Foundation of Buffalo, Inc's Fall Spanish-themed concert. Please go and support this wonderful group!

And for my third Lecture during National Opera Week for OperaBuffs of WNY? I'm presenting on portrayals of witchcraft, magic and folk religions in opera; and singing arias from Ulrica, Dido's Sorceress, and Carmen reading the tarot cards. A good thing for the morning after Halloween... see you there, Wayward Sisters.

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December jollity

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December 2013

Here's a holiday mish-mash... This month I'm leading a session in Model Boot Camp 101 to young and aspiring models. I've also been asked by Opera Sacra to sing at their Verdi-Wagner bicentennial gala concert. For opera lovers, we invite you to watch the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (Buffalo/Toronto District) on Jan 4th. I'll be singing in New Year's Day services at St. Paul's as well. In the background, I'm producing Model & Opera demo reels with the good folks at Arlington Place Pictures. In the meantime check out this featured Spotlight Model interview.

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Fall updates

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October 2013

It's been a while since I updated the News section, but not for lack of exciting new information... modeling has taken up lots of my time time lately! Although I was able to combine singing and modeling in Venice, after our performance of Un Vespro Venexiano I met a photographer and squeezed off a photoshoot. Now, in addition to walking in many local shows in WNY, I'm very proud to be a part of the video-based Confidence is the Key Project, managed by Evolve and Skorch magazines, bringing together plus models and fashion insiders from around the world, sharing their stories of confidence. And I've been invited back by OperaBuffs of WNY to give a Lecture during National Opera Week on the pre-history of opera. Vocális Chamber Choir will embark on a professional tour of England in summer 2014, playing amazing venues in and around the capitol. I'm excited for another season with this fantastic ensemble in the WNY and Niagara region. In the meantime, I'm taking small solo gigs at services (including a professional position at St. Paul's Schola Cantorum), fundraisers and private events, which has been fun. And starting in late October, I'll be onstage with Diva By Diva at the award-winning O'Connell & Company. This cabaret style all-female performance celebrates its Sweet 16 this year in WNY's longest running show.

Met Opera Council; opera gigs

April 2013

Some exciting news from the local opera world: I've been appointed to the Advisory Committee for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Regional Auditions Buffalo/ Toronto! Our District is part of the Great Lakes Region and draws singers from all over The US and Canada. In other news, I will be reprising the opera recital A Musical Journey Through the Mediterranean for OperaBuffs on April 13th, and have also been invited by an opera foundation to portray Carmen at a private concert in early May.

2 Snarky Broads

February 2013

Get ready Buffalo - The Winking Women of Whimsy... (...or 2 Snarky Broads and a Dude) are coming! Due to a generous grant from the University of Wisconsin, Oberlin alumnae Mezzo Julie Cross, DMA ('99) and myself ('97) will share a selection of sarcastic, snarky and tongue-in-cheek solo songs & duets spanning 5 centuries of opera, art songs and jazz on Saturday 8 June. Featuring all sorts of keyboards from Robert Hull. We've also been invited with our trio, including superstar opera mezzo Katherine Ciesinski, to present a scholarly Lecture-Recital at the biennial Feminist Theory and Music Conference 12, July 31-August 4, in Clinton, NY. We're excited to share our research about low female voices, and I'll be demonstrating with a range of Mezzo, Tenor, Baritone and Bass arias. I talk a bit about the genesis of this concert series in my Buffalo Rising Sounds of Buffalo interview; listen to this extended radio interview about the eventwith Peter Hall at Classical 94.5 (WNED).

Radio interviews

October 2012

Tune into WNED the last week of the month, I'm featured in two radio interviews with Classical FM 94.5's Peter Hall, talking about National Opera Week in WNY, the opportunities for classical music in Buffalo, some info about low-voiced females, and my own career and opera recitals the first week in November. Listen to 94.5FM on the radio or check out both clips anytime here.

Opera-tastic!

June 2012

Some great news on the opera horizon, more details will be released as plans develop but here's a taster: I'm singing a small principal role the Nickel City Opera August 2013 production of Handel Agrippina. In fact, I'll be working with NCO to form the first ever Early Music Fest in the Buffalo/ Niagara region! The highlight of the festival will be Agrippina, so we'll be putting out a call for performers, scholars, and researchers from across the canon. I'm also going to be involved with Opera Week 2012 in two exciting events: Sat Nov 3rd, Rockwell Hall, Buff State through OperaBuffs of WNY in their Inside Opera Lecture Series; and Sun Nov. 4th, St. Joseph's University Parish, Buffalo for Celebrate Opera WNY. In both events, I'll be giving Lecture-Performances on low female voices in opera, using examples from my own experiences in Baroque opera, footage of Vivaldi's Women, examination of upcoming Met Live broadcasts, and live performance of a range of opera arias. Check the Events calendar for exact details.

New show!

April 2011

Just got some great news from the world of singing, I have been selected to perform in a fabulous early Baroque opera, again under the direction of Philip Thorby, in Italy and the UK! Emilio De'Cavalieri's 1600 masterwork Rappresentatione di Anima et di Corpo will be performed in Venice and in the Norfolk or Suffolk area in a semi-staged performance with period instruments.

Emperor Sue

May 2009

Sue will play the lead role of the Emperor, which is a Tenor part, in Hilary Nicholls' new satirical children's opera The Emperor's New Clothes. This Viriditas Opera production is part of the York Spring Festival of New Music, and is the first installment of The York Playbook, an ongoing collection of new music-dramas by York composers. The piece is based on the Hans Christian Andersen story, in which two fraudsters, posing as tailors, promise to make the King a suit of beautiful clothes that fools cannot see. Please consult the Calendar for more information.

SPAV

January 2009

Sue has joined the famous "Vivaldi's Women" (SPAV) choir, as Bass I, at the invitation of the Director. Schola Pietatis Antonio Vivaldi is an all-female ensemble of singers and players which aims to recreate the sound of Vivaldi's Figlie di Coro, those foundlings at Venice's Ospedale della Pietà, where the composer spent much of his career. It reflects both the age and vocal ranges of Vivaldi's musicians, with women aged 14 to 60+, some singing tenor and bass at pitch! You may have seen the award-winning BBC4 Documentary about them. Sue, with the choir and orchestra, filmed a documentary for Sky TV based on Peter Ackroyd's forthcoming book Venice, and recorded a DVD and CD in February, both of which will be available by the fall. For more information, see our website and Vivaldi's Women on YouTube.