About this Artist
Soprano ANNA CHRISTY (Cunegonde) has impressed and delighted audiences with an extraordinary blend of sparkling voice, powerful stage presence and innate musicality.
Christy began the 2009/10 season as Blonde in a new Rader-Schieber production of Die Entführung aus dem Serail with the San Francisco Opera. In November, she appeared as a featured soloist in the New York City Opera Gala, “American Voices,” which celebrated the opera company’s return to the newly renovated David H. Koch Theater. She returned to the English National Opera to sing the title role in David Alden’s production of Lucia di Lammermoor. On the concert stage, she performs Bernstein’s Candide with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the Ravinia Festival and again with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in this performance.
In the 2008/09 season, Christy performed the role of Blonde in Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail at the Ravinia Festival with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by James Conlon. In addition, she was featured as Oscar in Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera at both L’Opera National de Paris and at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden. She recently appeared on the concert stage as Angela in a semi-staged version of Kurt Weill’s The Firebrand of Florence with the Collegiate Chorale at Carnegie Hall.
In the 2007/08 season, Christy was highly acclaimed for her interpretation of the title role in the English National Opera production of Lucia di Lammermoor, directed by David Alden. She appeared again with the ENO as Cunegonde in Robert Carsen’s production of Candide. Other appearances included Carmina Burana with the St. Louis Symphony, Lisette in La rondine with the San Francisco Opera, Adele in Die Fledermaus in Japan, conducted by Seiji Ozawa, and Bianca in Rossini’s Bianca e Falliero with the Washington Concert Opera.
Highlights of the 2006/07 season included her debut at the Teatro alla Scala and at the Theatre du Chatelet in a joint production of Candide, directed by Robert Carsen. Christy also appeared as Oscar with the San Francisco Opera in their opening season production of Un ballo in maschera and at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in Robert Carsen’s production of Les Dialogues des Carmelites, conducted by Sir Andrew Davis. In addition, she made her debut at the L’Opera de Lille as Cleopatra in Handel’s Giulio Cesare, conducted by Emmanuelle Haim and directed by David McVicar.
In the 2005/06 season, Christy appeared at the Metropolitan Opera as Hortense in the world premiere production of Tobias Picker’s An American Tragedy, and returned later in the season with performances of Papagena in Die Zauberflöte. She also performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago in Mahler’s Symphony No. 4, conducted by James Conlon.
Christy made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Papagena in Julie Taymor’s new production of Die Zauberflöte, conducted by James Levine in the 2004/05 season. Two more debuts followed, with appearances as Muffin in the world premiere of William Bolcom’s A Wedding at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and with Opera Theatre of St. Louis as Zemire in Zemire et Azor. This season also brought her back to Santa Fe Opera to sing Celia in Lucio Silla.
Other important engagements for Christy include her San Francisco debut as Angel More in The Mother of us All, conducted by Donald Runnicles and directed by Christopher Alden; Marzelline in a concert version Fidelio with the San Francisco Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas conducting; Zerlina in Don Giovanni with LA Opera; Mrs. Nordstrom in A Little Night Music and Annabelle in The Glass Blowers with New York City Opera, and her Santa Fe Opera debut as Jiang Ching in the world premiere of Madame Mao (music by Bright Sheng, libretto by Colin Graham).
Other concert engagements have included appearances with The Philadelphia Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the New York Festival of Song, and solo recitals in Japan.
Selected by New York City Opera, Anna Christy is the recipient of a 2005 Martin E. Segal Award, presented annually to nominees by two of Lincoln Center’s twelve resident arts constituents. She is also the recipient of a 2005 Richard Tucker Music Foundation Career Grant, the 2004 ARIA award, a 2002 Sullivan Foundation Grant, a 2002 Richard F. Gold Grant, and the 2000 Shouse Debut Artist Award from Wolf Trap Opera.