CLARON MCFADDEN (Béatrice) studied voice at the Eastman School of Music. Her Glyndebourne debut was in the title role of Lulu conducted by Sir Andrew Davis and she has returned there as Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro. She made her debut at the Netherlands Opera as Zerbinetta in Graham Vick’s production of Ariadne auf Naxos and has returned there many times. She sang the role of Clara in Porgy and Bess at the Bregenz Festival and the title role of Handel’s Rodelinda in Karlsruhe, and she has appeared with Les Arts Florissants throughout Europe in a number of projects including Dido and Aeneas.

She sings many of the major oratorio works, but is also in demand for her interpretation of contemporary music. She is closely associated with the music of Dirk Brossé and with Birtwistle’s Paul Celan Songs, which she performed in London with the Nash Ensemble. She is frequently asked to sing Carmina Burana, and she has also sung the Lulu Suite (under Oliver Knussen with The Residentie Orchestra) and Shostakovich’s 14th Symphony.

McFadden’s career highlights include performances with the Netherlands Opera in Claude Vivier’s Rêve d’un Marco Polo and Rob Zuidam’s Rage d’Amour. In 2005 she was the main featured artist in the Festival of Flanders, and in 2006 she performed in Michel van der Aa’s After Life in Amsterdam and in Didone with Fabio Biondi.

Recent and future engagements include two productions with Fabio Biondi; various productions at the Netherlands Opera (2008 & 2009 After Life); concerts with The Residentie Orchestra (St. Matthew Passion), the Münchener Kammerorchester, and the Gürzenicher Orchester; and various concerts at Lincoln Center. Other projects include a tour through Europe with the Orchestra of the 18th Century and concerts with the Arditti Quartet. In 2009 she sang at the BBC Proms.

In 2007 Claron McFadden was awarded the Amsterdam Prize of the Arts and was praised for her brilliant coloratura, her repertoire – which ranges from Monteverdi to Bernstein and contemporary composers – and her vivid stage personality.

Please visit claronmcfadden.com.