Les
Sirènes takes audiences on an exploration of the
soprano voice and the Baroque vocal repertory. The members of Les
Sirènes, sopranos Kathryn Mueller and Kristen Watson, and
harpsichordist Michael Sponseller, are young stars in the world
of early music, with solo careers spanning the United States, Europe,
and Asia.
As
Les Sirènes, Kathryn, Kristen and Michael create thought-provoking
and appealing programs that engage audiences with crisp and dynamic
music-making, sparkling coloratura, and lavish suspensions.
Artist Biographies
Soprano
Kathryn Mueller delights audiences in both concert
and operatic performances. Praised for her “pure sound” and “glorious
high notes,” (Atlanta Journal Constitution, Arizona Daily
Star) she has appeared as a soloist with the Washington Bach Consort,
Santa
Fe Pro Musica, Firebird Orchestra, Tucson Symphony Orchestra, New
Trinity Baroque, and Tucson Chamber Artists, and in operatic roles
with Arizona Opera and the Seattle Academy of Baroque Opera. She
recently made her Asian debut during a musical Peace Tour across
Indonesia with the Swara Sonora Trio. An accomplished ensemble
singer as well, Kathryn has sung with Seraphic Fire, the Handel
and Haydn
Society, the Oregon Bach Festival Chorus, and the Santa Fe Desert
Chorale. She holds music degrees from Brown University and The
University of Arizona. Kathryn has recorded extensively with New
Trinity Baroque
on the Edition Lilac label, and is also featured as a soloist on
recordings by Seraphic Fire, the Santa Fe Desert Chorale and Tucson
Chamber Artists.
Soprano Kristen Watson, hailed by critics for
her “blithe and
silvery” tone and “winning stage presence”, has
made solo debuts with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra of New York City,
the Mark Morris Dance Group, Boston Baroque, the Handel & Haydn
Society and Emmanuel Music, at such venues as the Walt Disney Concert
Hall, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Boston’s Symphony Hall.
Opera audiences have heard Kristen in productions with Boston Lyric
Opera, Opera New England, the Boston University Opera Institute,
and Opera Boston, with whom she performed in Osvaldo Golijov’s
acclaimed new opera Ainadamar (Voice of the Fountain), directed by
Peter Sellars. A versatile crossover artist, she has also been featured
as the soprano soloist with the Boston Pops on their “Mozart’s
Greatest Hits” program as well as their “Holiday Pops” series,
both under Keith Lockhart. Other solo performances include the
Carmel Bach Festival, Aston Magna Festival, Cactus Pear Music
Festival, and the White Mountain Bach Festival.
Harpsichordist Michael Sponseller has appeared
throughout Europe and North America with critical acclaim as a
soloist, conductor,
and chamber musician. Winner of the American Bach Soloists
Competition (1998) and the Jurow International Harpsichord
Competition (2002),
he holds the distinction of being a two-time prizewinner at
the Festival of Flanders International Harpsichord Competition
(Bruges),
as well
as taking prizes in Montréal and Kalamazoo. In addition to
holding degrees from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the Royal
Conservatory of Music in The Hague, Michael was a teacher of harpsichord
at the Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music. Mr. Sponseller can
also be heard on several recordings from Electra, Vanguard Classics,
Naxos, Delos and Centaur. In 2006, Michael was named Lorraine Hunt
Lieberson Fellow by Boston’s Emmanuel Music, in recognition
of his achievements as emerging young artist. The following year,
he founded Ensemble Florilege, (www.ensembleflorilege.org) a chamber
ensemble dedicated to the performance of lesser-performed repertory
of the 17th & 18th centuries.
|