|
The American soprano, Claire Boling, received her Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UT) in 2009 and her Master of Music degree Voice Performance and Literature at the Eastman School of Music in 2011. During her studies, she was a finalist in both the Kneisel Lieder competition and the Friends of Eastman Opera competition. She was a four-time winner of the NATS competition in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009. She has been awarded the Encouragement Award from the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and is a two-time semifinalist in the Orpheus Vocal Competition. She has the privilege of studying under Rita Shane and has had the honor of working with the influential musicians such as Graham Johnson, Sylvia McNair, Warren Jones, Mira Zakai, Russell Miller, Marjorie Bennett Stephens, Frank Hube, and Benton Hess.
Claire Boling has been praised for her performance in roles such as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Alida Slade in Roman Fever, First Lady in Die Zauberflöte, and as the title role in Manon, Mrs. Grose in Turn of the Screw, Mrs. Nordstrom in A Little Night Music, Greta Fiorentino in Street Scene and covered Despina in Cosi Fan Tutte. Also among her roles are Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors and Esther in Meet Me in St Louis and the Gypsy in UT’s La Traviata. Reviews claimed that “Ms Boling inhabited the role with a flexible and sweet, if light bodied, soprano voice that somersaulted like a well trained acrobat through her range” (Rochester, New York – Democrat and Chronicle).
Claire Boling has also been heard on the concert stage in works by J.S. Bach, Mozart, Gabriel Fauré, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Benjamin Britten, and George Frideric Handel. Among her concert work, she has performed as the soprano soloist in both G.F. Handel's Dettigen Te Deum and the Messiah. She has also performed Schubert’s Mass in G with the UT Concert Choir at Carnegie Hall. Claire Boling has a great passion for choral singing,. At UTK, Claire was a Grace Moore Scholar, University Scholar, Acuff Choral Scholar, UT Ambassador Scholar and an active member of Chamber Singers and the Dean’s Student Advisory Council for Arts and Sciences. She is also an alumna of Sigma Alpha Iota, Gamma Rho and served as the Ushering and All-Sing chairs. Also during her stint at UT, she has participated in UT Concert Choir, Student Senate, and 2 different Student Government Campaigns. She has performed with the Rochester, New York-based group Voices under the direction of William Weinert. Recent performances include the complete motets of J.S . Bach, B. Britten's Ceremony of Carols and AMDG, Heinrich Schütz's Psalm 116, the Allegri’s Miserere, and selections of Monteverdi's Vespro della Beata Vergine 1610.
Claire Boling has held several church and temple positions in Knoxville, Tennessee and Rochester, New York including Asbury First United Methodist (Soprano - Rochester, New York), Temple B'rith Kodesh (Alto - Brighton, New York), First Baptist Church (Soprano - Knoxville, Tennessee), and Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian (Soprano - Knoxville, Tennessee). Boling is a former Junaluska Singer (2007-2009) and sang under the direction of Glenn Draper. With Draper, she has toured the East Coast, including a performance at the White House. |
