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The American soprano, Clara Rottsolk, earned her music degrees at Rice University and Westminster Choir College, and was awarded for musical excellence by the Metropolitan Opera National Council (Northwest Region). “
Pure and shining” (Cleveland Plain Dealer) Clara Rottsolk has been lauded by The New York Times for her “clear, appealing voice and expressive conviction” and by The Philadelphia Inquirer for the “opulent tone [with which] every phrase has such a communicative emotional presence.” In a repertoire extending from the Renaissance to the contemporary, her solo appearances with orchestras and chamber ensembles have taken her across the USA, the Middle East, Japan and South America. She specializes in historically informed performance practice, singing with ensembles including American Bach Soloists (Director: Jeffrey Thomas), Tempesta di Mare (Directors: Gwyn Roberts & Richard Stone), Seattle Baroque Orchestra, Les Délices, Pacific MusicWorks, St. Thomas Church 5th Avenue, Virginia Symphony, Atlanta Baroque, Magnificat Baroque, Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Piffaro - The Renaissance Wind Band, Colorado Bach Ensemble, Trinity Wall Street Choir, Seraphic Fire, New Mexico Symphonic Chorus, ARTEK (Director: Gwendolyn Toth), and the Masterwork Chorus under the direction of conductors including Joshua Rifkin, Bruno Weil, Paul Goodwin, Jeffrey Thomas, John Scott, David Effron, and Andrew Megill.
Clara Rottsolk has performed at the Carmel Bach Festival, Indianapolis Early Music Festival, Berkeley Early Music Festival, Bach Festival of Philadelphia, Whidbey Island Music Festival, Boston Early Music Festival, and the Festival de Música Barroca de Barichara (Colombia) as well as on myriad concert series across the country. In collaboration with pianists Sylvia Berry and Byron Schenkman, and guitarist-lutenist Daniel Swenberg, she has given recitals of song from the 17th to 21st centuries in venues including the Goethe-Institut Boston, Town /Hall Seattle, St. Mark’s Church Philadelphia, and Swarthmore College. Among her stage roles are Pamina in W.A. Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, Micaëla in Georges Bizet's Carmen, Semele in Semele, Dido in Dido and Aeneas, Arminda in W.A. Mozart's in La finta giardiniera, Johanna in Sweeney Todd, and Laetitia in The Old Maid and the Thief.
Her recordings are "Myths and Allegories", French Baroque cantatas with Les Délices and “supple and stylish… and unflaggingly attractive” (Gramophone Magazine) Alessandro Scarlatti's Cantatas with Tempesta di Mare on the Chandos-Chaconne label. Due out this winter is a recording of new compositions by Rachel Matthews, including three songs set to Elizabeth Bishop's poetry.
Highlights of her current season include performances of J.S. Bach's Easter (BWV 249) and Ascension Oratorios (BWV 11) (American Bach Soloists), J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248) and St. John Passion (BWV 245) (Colorado Bach Ensemble), George Frideric Handel's Messiah (Spire Ensemble), recitals of 19th and 20th century mélodies with Byron Schenkman, and a new staged biographic exploration of Torquato Tasso with ARTEK.
Currently Clara Rottsolk is based in Philadelphia and teaches voice at Swarthmore, Haverford and Bryn Mawr Colleges. |
