PRESS RELEASE (contact: Kandace M. Nachtrab, 575-740-6431)
Taos Opera Institute Presents: An Evening with Jamie Barton
photo: Bree Anne Clowdus
Jamie Barton, renowned mezzo-soprano, will perform at the Taos Community Auditorium on Sunday, January 13 at 4:00 pm to benefit Taos Opera Institute. Hailed by Opera Magazine as “a complete singer with a once-in-a generation voice,” Barton is fresh from her triumphant performance as Elizabeth Van Lew in Houston Grand Opera’s world premiere of Intelligence by composer Jake Heggie (Dead Man Walking).
Barton is familiar to New Mexico audiences from her recent performances in Tristan und Isolde at the Santa Fe Opera and Don Carlos at the Metropolitan Opera Live in HD. She has performed in Chicago, Houston, Atlanta, London, Munich, and Madrid, and as a soloist with major orchestras. In Taos, she will be accompanied by Kathleen Kelly, a sought-after pianist, teacher, and director. Kelly has collaborated with singers Joyce DiDonato, Ryan McKinny, and Christine Goerke, among others. Barton and Kelly will develop repertoire during a weeklong Taos residency culminating in the January 13 concert. Concertgoers can expect to hear an array of favorite arias, alongside some newer pieces and familiar tunes.
Taos Opera Institute (TOI) is entering its 16th season as a premier summer program for aspiring singers. Known for its challenging curriculum, high caliber teaching, and idyllic mountain location, TOI offers students multiple opportunities to sign for audiences throughout the month of June.
Dr. Mark Craig, Director of TOI, first heard Barton sing at the University of Indiana where she was studying voice, and they later crossed paths in the opera worlds of Chicago and New York. “Jamie will be a fantastic addition to the overall musical scene in Taos and add to our reputation as a uniquely positioned arts community. Jamie will benefit from the warmth and welcome of our community and will add to it her special blend of positivity, activism for marginalized communities and underperformed musical works, and top it off with her ridiculously amazing humor,” says Craig.
An Evening with Jamie Barton will help support the expansion of Taos Opera Institute’s summer program from four to five weeks, new in 2024. An extra week will allow for more rehearsal time for the end-of-season Showcase production, additional masterclasses, a concert featuring the work of TOI’s resident composer Michael Ching, a performance in Santa Fe, as well as the traditional visit to the Santa Fe Opera.
Tickets for the concert are available online at tcataos.org. Purchase of a premium ticket will include a reception with the artists.
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About Taos Opera Institute (TOI)
TOI was founded by Mary Jane Johnson and Linda Poetschke in 2007 as a four-week comprehensive program designed to bridge the gap between academia and apprenticeships for emerging vocal artists. In 2022 the co-founders named Dr. Mark Craig TOI’s General Director. Mark is continuing the Institute’s focus on integrating and improving artists’ vocal technique, physical well-being, and overall artistry.
Aspiring singers from across the country compete to study at TOI in Taos Ski Valley for the month of June. In addition to technical training, the twenty-four participants chosen receive physical conditioning (yoga, hiking, etc.), individual coaching, participation in master classes with well-established vocal artists, and numerous opportunities to perform. The “TOI Festival” is the concert series that features the participants in multiple venues around Taos.
*In addition to the acronym for Taos Opera Institute (TOI), the expression “toi, toi, toi” is the operatic equivalent of theater’s “break a leg” and is derived from the German language.