Sharon Christman

Soprano

Short Biography

Sharon Christman, soprano, made her New York City debut at Lincoln Center singing Pergolesi’s Orpheus Cantata with the New York Chamber Orchestra. Following that she was engaged with New York City Opera and then Opera Orchestra of New York under the direction of Maestra Eve Queler. Ms. Christman made her Metropolitan Opera debut singing the role of the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte – a role she has performed with more than twenty opera companies and symphonies across the United States, Canada and South America. She may be seen on video with the Canadian Broadcasting Company’s production of that role with L’Opera de Montreal, a Maurice Sendak production.

Peter Davis of New York Magazine has called Ms. Christman’s singing “dazzling.” Daniel Webster of The Philadelphia Enquirer called her “a polished stylist with a gleaming voice.” Martin Mayer of Opera Magazine referred to Ms. Christman as, “the mistress of a fioratura the others did not attempt.” Ms. Christman is the recipient of numerous awards, including the International Liederkranz Vocal Competition, which sponsored her in performance at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, the New York Oratorio Competition, second place, the New Jersey State Opera competition, the coveted Puccini Foundation Award, and the Baltimore Opera Competition. She also received a Sullivan Grant for Study.

Ms. Christman has sung leading roles with opera companies including Dallas Opera, Michigan Opera, Dayton Opera, Teatro Municipal (Santiago, Chile), New Jersey State Opera, New York City Opera, The Metropolitan Opera, Pennsylvania Opera Theater, Mississippi Opera, Opera Camerata of Washington, Toledo Opera (a performance with Renee Fleming), Opera Pacific, Pittsburgh Opera, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Connecticut Opera, L’Opera de Montreal, The Summer Opera Theater and Florentine Opera. She has soloed with major symphony orchestras including the National Symphony Orchestra, Utah Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Duluth-Superior Symphony, Montreal Symphony, Opera Orchestra of New York, Miami Symphony, Erie Symphony, Bridgeport Symphony, Lansing Symphony, Washington Chamber Orchestra, New York Chamber Orchestra, Spokane Symphony, Alexandria Symphony and Arlington Symphony. Ms. Christman has soloed under the baton of such conductors as Julius Rudel, Eduardo Muller, Alfredo Silipigni, Wolfgang Rennert, Hans Allers, Steven Larsen, Richard Lert, Yakov Kreizburg, Gustave Meier and Murry Sidlin. She has performed with many leading artists such as Jerome Hines, Pablo Elvira, Jerry Hadley, Renée Fleming and Carlo Bergonzi at Carnegie Hall.

Ms. Christman has been a guest soloist at The White House and a recitalist in numerous Artist Series including the National Gallery of Art. She was privileged to present the Washington premiere of John Corigliano’s new song cycle, The Tambourine Man, at the request of the composer, first with National Musical Arts and then for the Cosmos Club Artist Series. Finally, she performed it with the Alexandria Symphony under the direction of Maestro Kim Allen Kluge, by special commission of the orchestra.

Ms. Christman has been a soloist many times at the Kennedy Center with such performing organizations as The Washington Chorus, Alexandria Symphony and The Washington Chamber Orchestra. She has soloed with the New Dominion Chorale, Georgetown Chorale, Arlington Symphony and Fairfax Symphony. With The Catholic University Symphony Orchestra she has performed Defiant Requiem, Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Carmina Burana and War Requiem by Benjamin Britten. Recently, Ms Christman was privileged to sing the soprano solos in the Defiant Requiem in Prague, Czech Republic, for the Prague Spring Festival with conductor Murry Sidlin – a project combining the efforts of The Catholic University of America, The Washington Chorus, Prague Symphony and a number of survivors’ family members for a commemoration at Terezin. With the New Dominion Chorale, Ms. Christman recently sang the Requiem by Verdi in the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center. Mark J. Estren of The Washington Post wrote of Ms. Christman in his review: “…her lovely voice penetrated the massed forces, providing ethereal beauty…and emotional intensity…” Recent recordings include a sacred recital with Irish tenor, Mark Forrest for Karian Records and Ignatius Press.

Ms. Christman has taught and aided in the development of the careers of a number of emerging talents, including Patrick Carfizzi (Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera), Fabiana Bravo (New York City Opera, Metropolitan Opera, Los Angeles Opera), Maureen Francis (Los Angeles Opera, Lincoln Center Festival), Brian Cali (Los Angeles Opera Young Artist Program with Placido Domingo) and Susan Wheeler (Augusta Opera, Baltimore Opera). Her students sing professionally in regional opera companies and in musical theater across the country, such as Charlie Hagerty (Les Miserables at The Kennedy Center) and John Boag (The Producers at the St. James Theatre). She also coached Linda Ronstadt during her run in The Pirates of Penzance at the New York Shakespeare Festival. Ms. Christman has been an invited presenter for the Voice Foundation’s National Voice Symposium in Philadelphia for the maximum two consecutive years. She performs recitals and master classes for numerous schools of music and summer festivals. Most recently, Ms. Christman joined the faculty of the Washington National Opera’s Young Artist Program for which she presents summer Master Classes. In the fall of 2006 she was honored to be the guest artist with the Charlottesville and University Symphony Orchestra singing Samuel Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 and “The Trees on the Mountains” from Susannah by Carlisle Floyd. She has been an artistic consultant for the Italian Cultural Institute. Ms. Christman is a faculty member of the Music Festival of Perugia, Italy during for their summer program offerings. Ms. Christman is Associate Professor of Music and chairs the Vocal Division of the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music at The Catholic University of America. This past summer she was a guest soloist with Cascades Music Festival in Bend, Oregon with Maestro Murry Sidlin.

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