Katherine Altobello
katherinealtobello.com
Mezzo-soprano Katherine Altobello is thrilled to sing with New Music on the Bayou Festival this year! Katherine has been hailed a “spitfire…having the energy, concentration, and stamina to make it look easy.” (Daily Progress News, Charlottesville, VA).
Ms. Altobello has performed with the New York City Ballet, San Diego Opera, the National Chorale at Lincoln Center, Austin Opera, Tulsa Opera, the Knoxville Symphony, Opera in the Heights, Ash-Lawn Opera, Texas Bach Festival, Austin Civic Orchestra, San Gabriel Chorale, Austin’s Masterworks Singers, Georgetown Festival of the Arts, LOLA, Alamo City Opera, Lexington Music and Theatre Company, Janiec Opera at Brevard Music Festival, Music for All, Wildwood Opera, Austin Chamber Ensemble, KMFA Radio, Tetractys New Music, Living Paper Song Project, Austin Artists Project, Project Live Notes, among others.
Katherine is equally at home singing opera, concert work, oratorio, and musical theatre. Favorite roles include Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, Hansel in Hänsel und Gretel, Madame Larina in Eugene Onegin, Schaunard in La Bohème, Mercedes in Carmen, Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady, and Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd. Solo engagements include: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Copland’s In the Beginning, Bach’s Oster Oratorium, Bach’s Weihnachtsoratorium, Bach’s Messe in h-moll, Bruckner’s Te Deum, Haydn’s Paukenmesse, Handel’s Messiah, Mahler’s 4th Symphony, Mozart’s Requiem, Rachmoninoff’s All-Night Vigil, and Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle. Favorite accolades include performing Jake Heggie’s Paper Wings alongside collaborative pianist Warren Jones at Manhattan School of Music, as well as performing with Living Paper Song Project’s I, too: the Voices of Langston Hughes, winning "Best Chamber Ensemble"at the Austin Critics Table Awards.
Premieres include Damien Geter’s Cantata For a More Hopeful Tomorrow (Texas premiere) with Southwestern University, and Mack Wilberg’s How Lovely is Thy Dwelling Place (Texas premiere) with St. Edward's University. In May Katherine performs a new piece composed by Chris Prosser entitled “Cantus Faciem Liber “ with Austin’s Tetractys New Music.
Ms. Altobello holds a Master of Music in Voice from Indiana University and a Bachelor of Arts in Music and Theater from Southwestern University. While living in New York, Katherine studied extensively with Juilliard School's W. Stephen Smith. Other distinguished teachers and coaches include Cheryl Parrish, Carmen Pelton, Patricia Stiles, Gary Arvin, Charles Prestinari, Kathy Kozac, Kristen Roach, James Lesniak, Elden Little, and Warren Jones.
Katherine resides in her hometown of Austin, and teaches voice at Southwestern University. You can hear her sing regularly at St. Martin's Lutheran Church in downtown Austin, where she is the alto section leader and soloist.