Soprano Katharine Dain performs opera, chamber music, orchestral repertoire, and oratorio throughout Europe and North America. In recent seasons, she has been highly praised for Mozart roles including Konstanze (Die Entführung aus dem Serail) in Rouen, Avignon, Clermont-Ferrand, Reims, and Massy and Donna Anna (Don Giovanni) with the Orchestra of the 18th Century and at the Armel Opera Festival. In December of 2020, Dain debuted with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Antony Hermus in the premiere of a new work for soprano and orchestra by Bram Kortekaas. Other recent concert engagements include works of Dutilleux and Berlioz with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under Ryan Bancroft, song cycles of Zemlinsky and Berg under Reinbert de Leeuw in Austria’s Osterfestival, and Mahler’s Fourth Symphony with Grammy-award-winning chamber orchestra Ludwig.
Soprano Katharine Dain performs opera, chamber music, orchestral repertoire, and oratorio throughout Europe and North America. In recent seasons, she has been highly praised for Mozart roles including Konstanze (Die Entführung aus dem Serail) in Rouen, Avignon, Clermont-Ferrand, Reims, and Massy and Donna Anna (Don Giovanni) with the Orchestra of the 18th Century and at the Armel Opera Festival. In December of 2020, Dain debuted with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Antony Hermus in the premiere of a new work for soprano and orchestra by Bram Kortekaas. Other recent concert engagements include works of Dutilleux and Berlioz with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under Ryan Bancroft, song cycles of Zemlinsky and Berg under Reinbert de Leeuw in Austria’s Osterfestival, and Mahler’s Fourth Symphony with Grammy-award-winning chamber orchestra Ludwig.
scorching top notes … impressively elegant and thoughtful … penetrating artistry
THE TIMES
scorching top notes … impressively elegant and thoughtful … penetrating artistry
THE TIMES
A musician of unusual intelligence and curiosity, Dain is becoming known for fearless performances of modern repertoire as well as thoughtful programming and writing. Her recent album with pianist Sam Armstrong, Regards sur l’Infini, has been universally hailed in the press: “extraordinarily polished … glowing” (The Guardian); “a discovery … Dain sings with merciless beauty” (Trouw). Her last pre-Covid project was a tour with the NSO under Manoj Kamps in Wagner’s Liebestod and a newly-commissioned piece by Rick van Veldhuizen, a performance called “outstanding” by NRC. She has co-founded several chamber groups, including Damask Vocal Quartet, whose first album of works by Brahms and contemporaries, O schöne Nacht, won wide acclaim and the French award the Choc de Classica.
A musician of unusual intelligence and curiosity, Dain is becoming known for fearless performances of modern repertoire as well as thoughtful programming and writing. Her recent album with pianist Sam Armstrong, Regards sur l’Infini, has been universally hailed in the press: “extraordinarily polished … glowing” (The Guardian); “a discovery … Dain sings with merciless beauty” (Trouw). Her last pre-Covid project was a tour with the NSO under Manoj Kamps in Wagner’s Liebestod and a newly-commissioned piece by Rick van Veldhuizen, a performance called “outstanding” by NRC. She has co-founded several chamber groups, including Damask Vocal Quartet, whose first album of works by Brahms and contemporaries, O schöne Nacht, won wide acclaim and the French award the Choc de Classica.
music in Covid times
My work, like that of most performers, has been severely affected by Covid-19 since March 2020. These months have been difficult, but they gave me the time to pursue a very personal project: a disc of French songs with pianist Sam Armstrong, titled Regards sur l’Infini, released in late November on 7 Mountain Records. The critical response has been overwhelmingly positive. The Guardian called it “a memorable, effortlessly polished album” and chose it as classical CD of the week; Volkskrant called it “sublime,” NRC “breathtaking,” Parool “exceptionally successful,” the Times “impressively elegant and thoughtful.”
Click here to read more about the album or to order a copy.
In early December, I made an unexpected debut with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra when a soprano colleague fell ill before the planned premiere of a piece by Bram Kortekaas. I learned the score in a few days and sang it under Antony Hermus for a streamed concert that will also be released commercially. Read more here.
Live events will remain infrequent for a while yet. My calendar is current as far as I know, but do check with the venue for the most updated information if you’re thinking of attending something in person.
Stay safe, everyone.
music in Covid times
My work, like that of most performers, has been severely affected by Covid-19 since March 2020. These months have been difficult, but they gave me the time to pursue a very personal project: a disc of French songs with pianist Sam Armstrong, titled Regards sur l’Infini, released in late November on 7 Mountain Records. The critical response has been overwhelmingly positive. The Guardian called it “a memorable, effortlessly polished album” and chose it as classical CD of the week; Volkskrant called it “sublime,” NRC “breathtaking,” Parool “exceptionally successful,” the Times “impressively elegant and thoughtful.”
Click here to read more about the album or to order a copy.
In early December, I made an unexpected debut with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra when a soprano colleague fell ill before the planned premiere of a piece by Bram Kortekaas. I learned the score in a few days and sang it under Antony Hermus for a streamed concert that will also be released commercially. Read more here.
Live events will remain infrequent for a while yet. My calendar is current as far as I know, but do check with the venue for the most updated information if you’re thinking of attending something in person.
Stay safe, everyone.
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October 12, 2020I was shaken to learn last night that soprano and legendary teacher Ruth Falcon has died. I was lucky to study with Ruth at Mannes for three years. She was an exacting technician, a force of nature, someone who could be both boundlessly generous and terribly difficult. Although we haven't been close in many years, it's hard to believe she's gone. I remember our first lesson. I had been accepted to Mannes and was trying to... -
September 25, 2020Most of my concerts this spring, summer, and fall were cancelled. But not this one, which went off last week without a hitch, and thank goodness, because it was a complete pleasure from start to finish. Scroll down to listen to our Mahler and Schubert. Ludwig is a Dutch chamber orchestra that almost exclusively plays without conductor. (A notable exception is whenever they work with Barbara Hannigan, who sings and conducts; their 2018 album Crazy... -
July 24, 2020It's been a rocky few months for the performing arts, which makes it all the more strange and wonderful to announce my own news: Sam Armstrong and I are making an album. Sam and I been close friends and collaborators for a long time, but we've never recorded together. Now, finally, we're planning a disc of French songs, titled "Regards sur l'Infini" after a gorgeous early song by Dutilleux. The program is a compact, symmetrical...
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