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ENCORE! 100 YEARS OF SONG
Performers

Katherine Whyte

soprano,

Katherine Whyte has delighted audiences and critics alike on opera and concert stages across her native Canada, the United States, and Europe. Opera Today has praised her "keen artistic sensibility" while the San Francisco Classical Voice singled out "her glamorous, vibrato-rich voice." Following her Metropolitan Opera debut in 2007 in Strauss’ Die Ägyptische Helena, she has returned to the company for productions of Iolanta, Rigoletto, Jenufa, The Gambler, The Enchanted Island, Two Boys, Parsifal, Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte, and Suor Angelica.

 

Recent and upcoming engagements for Ms. Whyte include her celebrated Countess Almaviva in Le Nozze di Figaro with Intermountain Opera Bozeman, the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro with Opera Saratoga, Charlottesville Opera and the Norwalk Symphony, her debut at Dallas Opera as Pousette in Manon, her debut with Syracuse’s Symphoria performing Poulenc’s Gloria; a return to New Choral Society as soprano soloist in Carmina Burana, her debut with Heartbeat Opera as Agathe in Der Freischütz, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte with Opera Grand Rapids, solo recital with Djordje Nesic at the celebrated Kolarac Hall in Belgrade Serbia, and orchestral and opera appearances with Opera Hong Kong, the Kaohsiung Symphony and the Meet in Beijing Arts Festival. Ms. Whyte was the soprano soloist for Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the Santa Rosa, Louisiana and Eugene Symphonies.  She was delighted to debut last summer with Orpheus PDX singing the Role of Aminta in Mozart’s Il Re Pastore and will return this summer to sing Aci in Handel’s Aci, Galaeta e polifemo.  This season included singing Poulenc's Gloria with the Greensboro Symphony, a Sibelius Concert with the Vallejo Festival Orchestra, Mimi in La Bohème with Intermountain Opera, Elijah with the New Choral Society and Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the Phoenix Symphony.  Katherine reprised her beloved Countess with the Utah Opera and sang Beethoven's 9th with the Oregon Symphony. 

Holly Sorenson

mezzo-soprano

Often hailed as a true Mezzo Soprano, Holly Sorensen is known for her rich, colorful, and expressive timbre. A gifted singing actor with great versatility, Ms. Sorensen was described as having, “a grand time!....dispensing attitude with relish and producing some impressively chilling tones” – Opera News. Most recently, The Tampa Bay Daily Loaf wrote," a creamy mezzo that soars lusciously and is breathtaking in her cruelty", following her debut as Dalila in Samson et Dalila with St. Petersburg Opera.

Ms. Sorensen performs a wide variety of repertoire, ranging from dramatic leading mezzo roles, to comic Rossini. Some of her other stage credits include, the title role in Carmen, The Mother - Hansel and Gretel, Suzuki - Madame Butterfly, La Prima Donna - Salieri’s Prima la Musica poi le Parole, Pitti Sing - The Mikado, The Secretary - The Consul, Sorceress - Dido and Aeneas, Prince Orlofsky – Die Fledermaus, The Princess Aunt – Suor Angelica, and Giovanna - Rigoletto. Highlights from various scenes programs include Isabella - L’Italiana in Algeri, Augusta - Ballad of Baby Doe, Charlotte - Werther, Mallika - Lakme, Mrs. Lovett - Sweeney Todd, and Mrs. Grose - Turn of the Screw. Some of her operatic Performance venues include, Utah Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Bronx Opera, Utah Lyric Opera, Connecticut Grand Opera, Opera in the Ozarks, Ardamore Chamber Opera, Opera Company of Brooklyn, Dicapo Opera, Boston Classical Orchestra, and The Greenwich Pops Symphony.

Ms. Sorensen has also been lauded for her concert and oratorio work, as a mezzo with “luscious tones” – Greenwich Times and “glamorous and beautiful to see and hear” – Greenwich Citizen. She most recently made her Avery Fisher Hall debut singing as mezzo soloist in Mozart Requiem with DCINY; where she was hailed as, "radiant" by the New York Concert Review. She has also performed Mendelssohn’s Paulus with the Oratorio Society of New York in Carnegie Hall. Other performances include, Handel’s Messiah, Respighi’s Laud to the Nativity, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, the Yizkor Requiem and Bach’s St. John Passion. Ms. Sorensen performed the Mozart Requiem and Vivaldi Gloria in Venice, Italy with Dicapo Opera Summer Tour. This year she was the featured mezzo soloist with the Salt Lake Choral Artists in performances including the Bach B Minor Mass, and "The Armed Man", by Karl Jenkins. She has performed frequently with the Greenwich Choral Society and Greenwich Symphony in Connecticut. Other oratorio engagements include solo work with the Allentown Symphony, Norwalk Symphony, and First Congregational Church of Greenwich Orchestra. She has also been applauded for her recent recital repertoire including works by Mahler, Manuel de Falle, Schubert, Schumann, Barber, and spirituals by HT Burleigh. Ms. Sorensen was the featured mezzo soloist with Connecticut Grand Opera’s “Champagne and Arias” Gala.

Ms. Sorensen was the winner of the 2011 Nico Castel International Mastersinger Competition at Carnegie Hall. She was a finalist in the Oratorio Society of New York Competition, and winner of the Mendelssohn Competition with Norwalk Symphony. Additionally, she was awarded Second Prize at the Eugene Opera Belle Voci National Competition, Second Prize at the Classical Singer Convention in New York, and was a semi-finalist in the National Association of Teachers of Singing Competition.

Edward Pleasant

bass-baritone

Edward Pleasant, baritone, is recognized as one of the most versatile performers of his generation. Critically acclaimed in both opera, musical theater and recordings, he has distinguished himself as a gifted actor with brilliant comic timing and a luscious baritone voice. Pleasant champions the proliferation of the artistic contributions of early 20th century African-American writers, singers and composers, through live performances and recordings,
propelling their works into the 21st century for the education and enjoyment of today’s global audience.

Pleasant, a frequent guest artist with the Greenwich Choral Society for more than two decades, has appeared in no less than a dozen recordings and operatic compilations. He appears with the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra’s recordings of Black Manhattan Vols. 1, 2 and 3 where he enjoysthe  distinction of being the only singer to be heard in all three completions. All three
recordings for New World Records have garnered praise for Pleasant’s performances as being “marvelous” and “beautifully sung.” He can also be heard in the definitive recording of Scott Joplin's Treemonisha, also for New World Records. This historic recording was designated a BBC Music Magazine ‘Opera Choice’ and Gramophone Magazine ‘Editor’s Choice’ in the year of its release. His discography also includes a recording of The Seven Last
Words of Christ for Gothic Records, Kurt Weill's The Flight of Lindbergh for Voices International, and a special 250th Anniversary edition of The Music of Mozart for the Madacy label. Pleasant is also the demonstration voice on the popular Karaoke Opera Series recordings of baritone arias. His latest project is a recording of the music of Irving Berlin for New World Records was critically acclaimed by Opera News.

A native of Midland, Texas, Pleasant gained national attention when he appeared with the New York City Opera as Jake in Porgy and Bess, which included an Emmy-nominated Live from Lincoln Center telecast on PBS. This historic telecast marked the first time a live performance of the Gershwin masterpiece had ever been televised. He reprises this role both nationally and abroad. Mr. Pleasant returned to New York City Opera in other productions,
including the premiere of Margaret Garner by Richard Danielpour and Toni Morrison and their annual Vox Series showcases. Additional roles include Don Alfonso in Cosi fan tutte, Giuseppe Palmieri in The Gondoliers, Pish-Tush in The Mikado, Nardo in La Finta Giardiniera, Jacques in The New Moon, Zodzetrick in Joplin's Treemonisha, Harriet Tubman's father in a touring production of Freedom Train and Coalhouse Walker in Ragtime the Musical. Recent career highlights include his being the first to realize the role of Sam Perry in a contemporary opera entitled Strange Fruit by Chandler Carter and Joan Ross Sorkin for Harlem School of the Arts, and his starring in a one- man show about the life of Nat ‘King’ Cole called Sincerely, Nat, which Pleasant also wrote and produced. 

Pleasant performs on the world's most prestigious concert stages, including David Geffin Hall (formerly Avery Fisher Hall), Alice Tully Hall, and Carnegie Hall. He appeared as a soloist with the world-renowned Moses Hogan Chorale and he has sung in other prominent venues such as the Texas State Capitol and the White House. His numerous oratorio and orchestral
credits include Bach's St. John Passion and Christmas Oratorio, Beethoven's Mass in C, Brahms' A German Requiem, Ellington's Sacred Selections, Handel's Messiah, Vaughan Williams' Five Mystical Songs and Robert Ray's Gospel Mass. He is in high demand as a narrator/storyteller performing the perennial childrens’ favorites Peter and the Wolf, Carnival of the Animals, Tubby the Tuba, The Thrill of the Orchestra and most recently a new work, Uzu and Muzu from Kakaruzu.
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