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D'Anna Fortunato, mezzo-soprano...

b i o g r a p h y...........back to roster....up 2003/04 Mezzo-soprano D'Anna Fortunato has long been an admired favorite on the American orchestral-concert scene, while establishing herself as a respected operatic artist as well. Of her New York City Opera debut in Handel's Alcina, the New Yorker called her “a Handelian of crisp accomplishment.” She has performed Handel's operas in such venues as Merkin Hall, Carnegie Hall, Emmanuel Music, and Monadnock Music, while singing major roles in eight premiere Handel CD's for Albany, Newport Classics, and Vox. She performed other major roles with Glimmerglass (Beatrice in Berlioz' Beatrice and Benedict); Kentucky Opera (Artist-in Residence, Maddalena in Rigoletto, and Dido in Dido and Aeneas); Connecticut Grand Opera (Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia), Opera San Jose (Sarah in Mollicone's Hotel Eden), Rochester Opera (Seibel in Faust and Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte), Florida Grand Opera (Dorabella) and with Boston Lyric Opera on many occasions, most recently Marcellina in Le Nozze di Figaro. This past season she was also heard in Les Noces with the Nashville Symphony and in Les Nuits D’Été with Pro Arte. She is engaged to perform Julia Child at the Smithsonian in November 2003. Highlights of her orchestral engagements have included Ravel's L'Enfant et les Sortileges and Verdi's Falstaff with Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra; Handel’s Messiah with the National Symphony; Mozart's Requiem with Ottawa's National Arts Center Orchestra; Gluck's Orfeo with the Philadelphia Orchestra; Berlioz' Roméo et Juliette with Minnesota Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony; Ah, Perfido! with the Pittsburgh Symphony; Honegger's Jeanne d'Arc au Bucher with New York Philharmonic and Kurt Mazur; Berio's Folksongs with both New Jersey Symphony and Omaha Symphony; and Messiah with the New Japan Philharmonic and Osaka's Telemann Orchestra. Ms. Fortunato also participated in Roger Norrington’s series of world wide performances of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. Much of D'Anna Fortunato's musical life has been devoted to the works of J. S. Bach. To this end, she has sung on numerous occasions with the Bethlehem, Winter Park, Carmel, Boulder, and Rome Bach Festivals and at the 92nd Street Y with John Gibbons She was a long-time soloist with Emmanuel Music (l3 seasons); the Cantata Singers (l0 seasons). At present she is a member of the Bach Aria Group, touring, recording, and teaching summer seminars at S.U.N.Y. Stony Brook (l5 years). Ms. Fortunato's list of Festival appearances is lengthy, and includes Marlboro, Tanglewood, Casals, Blossom, Rockport, Newport, Vaison-la-Romaine, and Berlin's Spectrum Festival. She has been a frequent visitor with such chamber organizations as the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Boston Chamber Music Society (which awarded her a citation of merit), the Northeast Harbor Chamber Festival (Composer's String Quartet), and the Marblehead Chamber Music Festival. Newly released CD's include Handel's Deidamia (role of Achille) for Albany, and a New York Philharmonic CD of Honegger's Jeanne d'Arc au Bucher (Heavenly Voice). Heading her list of 35 CD's is a re-release on Sony of her Victorian Baseball: Hurrah for our National Game, while her CD of Amy Beach Songs on Northeastern won Best of the Year from the New York Magazine, the Boston Globe, and the New York Post. Her Dido in Dido and Aeneas on Harmonia Mundi with the Boston Camerata was hailed as the best by Graham Sheffield in Opera on Record. Other labels include London/Decca, Koch, Bridge, Gasparo, Erato, and Margun. D'Anna Fortunato has researched and performed extensively the little-known works of Amy Beach, Clara Schumann, Fanny Mendelssohn, Franz Liszt, and Charles-Martin Loeffler. Composers John Harbison, Stephen Jaffee, Stephen Albert, and John Heiss have chosen her to debut their compositions. Ms. Fortunato was brought up in Charleston, S.C., and studied primarily at the New England Conservatory of Music, where she is now a Professor of Voice. b i o g r a p h y ---- r e v i e w s ---- back to roster...up . . . .

r e v i e w s...........back to roster....up The Boston Globe (October 1999) Her singing was noble in feeling and the tone, vibrant and lustrous." (Emmanuel Music, Handel's "Solomon" role of the Queen of Sheba) The Phoenix (May 1998) "...a delightful role for this endearing artist (Boston Academy of Music, Richard Strauss "Arabella" role of Adelaide) Daytona (Florida) News-Journal (March 1998) "...a dolorous plea that was ideally suited to Fortunato's sombre mezzo." New York Magazine (March, 1997) "...The most polished singing came from D'Anna Fortunato..." (Opera Quotannis, Cherubini's "Medee," the role of Neris) New York Times (March, 1997). "D'Anna Fortunato...gave a lovely and feeling performance of Neris' Aria." (Opera Quotannis, Cherubini's "Medee.") Florida Sun Sentinel (January 1, 1997) "D'Anna Fortunato's knack for articulating clearly was a decided asset; her rich, communicative tone was another. She seemed to relish the multiple assignments. Earlier in the program, Fortunato sang a couple of elegant German arias by Handel, with finesse...The mezzo also offered a warm and gently expressive account of Brahms' songs from Opus 91." (Gold Coast Chamber Music Festival) Palm Beach Post (January 13, 1997) "D'Anna Fortunato...blossomed in the leading role." (Mini Opera "Vashti," by David Schiff. (Gold Coast Chamber Music Festival) American Record Guide (April 1997) "...Sung with flawless pulchritude by mezzo, D'Anna Fortunato..." (Concert of David Leisner's Music) Boston Globe (April, 1997) "Fortunato was in sumptuous voice..." (Charlestown Preservation Society Concert) Westchester (N.Y.) Reporter Dispatch (February, 1997) "Fortunato negotiated the considerable difficulties of the vocal line confidently and expressively..." (Pleasantville Chamber Music Society) Boston Globe (May 1996) "She was first-class." (Role of Preziosilla, Verdi's "La Forza del Destino," Boston Academy of Music. Portland Press Herald (ME) (June 1995) "...a fitting vehicle for the soloist's rich tone and expressive style, especially in the melismas of its final aria. Fortunato sang...in a declamatory style richly adorned with vocal ornaments...magnificent." (Baroque concert) New York Times (August 1995) "There was also an affecting performance of Ravel's "Chansons Madecasses" with the superb mezzo-soprano, D'Anna Fortunato." (Bargemusic Concerts--Brooklyn, New York) Nashua Telegraph (August 1995) "Mezzo-soprano D'Anna Fortunato's performance ...toned perfectly; her dark voice wrapped itself around the pain of the often tortured words, and she seemed transfixed by the anguish of the moment." (Music of Leo Sowerby", Monadnock Music) b i o g r a p h y ---- r e v i e w s ---- back to roster...up . . . .