Joelle Harvey
Soprano

A native of Bolivar, New York, soprano Joélle Harvey is quickly becoming recognized as one of the most promising young talents of her generation. She is the recipient of a 2011 First Prize Award from the Gerda Lissner Foundation, a 2009 Sara Tucker Study Grant from the Richard Tucker Foundation, and a 2010 Encouragement Award (in honor of Norma Newton) from the George London Foundation.

Ms. Harvey bowed at Glimmerglass Opera in the summer of 2010 as Seleuce in the U.S. professional stage premiere of Händel's Tolomeo, where critic David Shengold declared she "dazzled physically and vocally". The soprano's 2010-2011 season includes a return engagement with the San Francisco Symphony as the soprano soloist in Carmina burana, performances of Handel's Messiah in Spain with Harry Bicket and the English Concert, a concert appearance in Aschaffenburg, Germany, Belinda in Dido and Aeneas at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Sophie in Werther with Washington Concert Opera under the baton of Antony Walker, and creating the role of Miranda in the world premiere of Death and the Powers at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo. In the summer of 2011, Ms. Harvey makes her role and company debut with Festival d'Aix en Provence as Galatea in Acis and Galatea under the direction of Leonardo García Alarcón.

Future seasons will include further performances of Galatea at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Bach's B Minor Mass with The English Concert in Leipzig, Handel's Messiah with the San Francisco Symphony and the Kansas City Symphony, Jenifer in Tippett's The Midsummer Marriage with Opera Boston, and Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro with the Glyndebourne Festival Tour.

In the summer of 2009, Ms. Harvey returned to Glimmerglass Opera to sing the role of Belinda in Jonathan Miller's new production of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas. The soprano performed the role of Miranda in a workshop of Tod Machover's new opera Death and the Powers in September 2009, and subsequently made her debut at New York City Opera as Zerlina in Christopher Alden's new production of Don Giovanni. She appeared as Flora in The Turn of the Screw for her debut with Houston Grand Opera, and returned to Eugene Opera to sing the role of Susanna in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro. The spring of 2010 found Ms. Harvey at Atlanta Opera, where she covered Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, and sang matinee performances of the role. She also performed the Pergolesi Stabat Mater with the Orchestra of St. Luke's at the Baryshnikov Arts Center.

During the 2008-2009 season, Ms. Harvey made company debuts with Dallas Opera as Barbarina in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, Portland Opera as Flora in Britten's The Turn of the Screw, and Eugene Opera as Eurydice in Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld. On the concert and recital platforms, Ms. Harvey made debuts with the San Francisco Symphony as Leila in performances of Gilbert & Sullivan's Iolanthe conducted by George Manahan, and with Steven Blier and the New York Festival of Song at Merkin Concert Hall and the Caramoor Festival. 



In the summer of 2008, Ms. Harvey performed the role of Zerlina in Catherine Malfitano's critically acclaimed production of Mozart's Don Giovanni with San Francisco Opera's Merola Program. As a member of Glimmerglass Opera's 2007 Young American Artists Program, Ms.Harvey performed the role of Cupid in Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld to great critical acclaim and covered soprano Lisa Saffer in the role of La Princesse in Philip Glass' Orphée. 



Ms. Harvey received Second Prize in Houston Grand Opera's 2008 Eleanor McCollum Competition for Young Singers. She received 6th Prize in the Advanced Division of the 2009 Palm Beach Opera Vocal Competition, is a recipient of the Shoshana Foundation's 2007 Richard F. Gold Career Grant, and was also presented with the John Alexander Memorial Award and the coveted Sam Adams Award for Achievement in Acting from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). 



Ms. Harvey received her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in vocal performance from CCM,where she performed the roles of Amor in Cavalli's L'Egisto, Emmie and Flora in, respectively, Britten's Albert Herring and The Turn of the Screw, Poppea in L'Incoronazione di Poppea, Sophie in Massenet's Werther, and Nannetta in Falstaff.

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