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Biography
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| "Wonderful tone quality,
easily produced from top to bottom"; " Her singing was
thrilling. It was secure, even throughout the range, of a rich texture,
and dramatically speaking, exceptionally persuasive". These are a few
adjectives that have been used to describe soprano Carol Welker.
Versatile
in opera, oratorio and concert repertoire, Ms. Welker has performed the
title role in MADAMA BUTTERFLY, Desdemona in OTELLO (her personal
favorite), Donna Anna in DON GIOVANNI, Santuzza in CAVALLERIA RUSTICANA.
Fiordiligi in COSI FAN TUTTE, Magda in LA RONDINE, Georgette in IL TABARRO,
and Nedda in PAGLIACCI among others. Carol had the pleasure of performing
with the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan, under the
direction of Maestro Nello Santi, as well as performances with Opera
Roanoke, Southwest Virginia Opera, the National Grand Opera, Opera
Northeast and the Opera Classics of New Jersey to name a few.
Under the
baton of Maestro Peter Tiboris she made her Carnegie Hall debut with the
Manhattan Philharmonic as soprano soloist in the Mozart REQUIEM. Return
engagements at Carnegie Hall have included another Mozart REQUIEM, with
the New England Symphonic Ensemble, as well as soloist in the RUTTER
MAGNIFICAT, with the composer, John Rutter, conducting the New York City
Symphony.Ms. Welker hails from Kansas City, Kansas and resides in New York
City with her husband, baritone Lee Roisum.
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Opera roles performed
|
| Desdemona |
OTELLO |
Southwest
Virginia Opera
Regina Opera, NY |
| Cio-Cio-San |
MADAMA
BUTTERFLY |
Teatro Felice, NYC |
|
|
|
Opera
Northeast, New England Tour
|
| Donna
Anna
|
DON
GIOVANNI
|
Opera
Roanoke
|
| Flora
|
LA
TRAVIATA
|
Yomiuri
Nippon Symphony, Tokyo and Osaka, Japan
|
| Santuzza
|
CAVALLERIA
RUSTICANA
|
Inwood
Opera, NYC
|
| Agathe
|
DER
FREISCHUTZ
|
Liederkranz
Foundation, NY
|
|
|
|
Henry
Street Playhouse, NY
|
| Celestial
Voice
|
DON
CARLO
|
National
Grand Opera, NY
|
| Nedda
|
I
PAGLIACCI
|
Opera
Classics of New Jersey
|
|
|
|
Regina
Opera, NY
|
| Mimi
|
LA
BOHEME
|
Regina
Opera, NY
|
|
|
| New
York Grand Opera |
| Fiordiligi
|
COSI
FAN TUTTE
|
Opera
Classics of New Jersey
|
| Magda
|
LA
RONDINE
|
Bel
Canto Opera, NY
|
| Georgette
|
IL
TABARRO
|
Brooklyn
Opera Society
|
| La
Ciesca
|
GIANNI
SCHICCHI
|
Brooklyn
Opera Society
|
| Countess
|
MARRIAGE
OF FIGARO
|
Henry
Street Playhouse, NY
|
| Tatyana
|
EUGENE
ONEGIN
|
Henry
Street Playhouse, NY
|
| Cleopatra
|
JULIUS
CAESAR
|
Henry
Street Playhouse, NY
|
Roles prepared
|
| Manon Lescaut, Aida, Maddalena, Amelia, Leonora and
Elisabetta. |
Oratorio performed
|
| Soprano Soloist |
MOZART REQUIEM |
Carnegie Hall, Manhattan Philharmonic |
| Soprano Soloist |
RUTTER MAGNIFICAT |
Carnegie Hall, New York City |
| Soprano Soloist |
MOZART REQUIEM |
Carnegie Hall, New England Symphonic Ensemble |
Awards
|
| Liederkranz Foundation |
Winner |
| National and Regional NATS |
Winner |
| New Jersey State Opera Auditions |
Winner |
| YWCA Studio Club Recital Auditions, NYC |
Winner |
| American Opera Auditions, NYC |
Finalist |
Conductors/Teacher
|
| CONDUCTORS: Victoria
Bond, Giampoalo Bracali, Anton Coppola, Alex Guzman, Vincent La Selva,
Timothy Lindberg, Gregory Ortega, John Rutter, Nello Santi, Jerome
Shannon, Peter Tiboris, William Vendice, Scott Wylie. TEACHER: Jeanne Aldridge
Tomelleri, K.C., Kansas.
COACH: Tom Schilling, New York City
|
Reviews
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|
OTELLO
"Stand-in a champion in Otello premiere… but it was Desdemona's 'Wllow
Song' and 'Ave Maria' in Act IV that were the high points of this production.
Welker's tender and delicate reading had a rich poignance."
Roanoke Times & World-News - Seth
Williamson
"What a lovely voice hers is.
Pitch-perfect, beautifully supported, wonderful tone quality, easily produced
from top to bottom. This was a Desdemona with character."
Sightlines - Opera Glass, Inc.- Ann
Feldman
 MADAMA
BUTTERFLY
"MADAMA BUTTERFLY was assured its share of accolades with soprano Carol
Welker in the title role. In every respect, she was more than satisfying as
the charming idealistic Cio-Cio-San."
Cape Cod Times - Anna
Crebo
DON GIOVANNI
"Carol Welker created a satisfying Donna Anna."
Roanoke Times & World-News - Seth
Williamson
PAGLIACCI
"The singing by the people in the named roles was first rate throughout.
Several of those younger singers were standouts. In PAGLIACCI they were led by
soprano Carol Welker as the heedless young Nedda. Welker gave a
strong performance as the young waif, coming into her own especially in the
well-performed commedia play within the opera."
The Bergen Record - Peter
Wynne
"Soprano Carol Welker has a lovely
spinto voice with dramatic heft as well as the necessary coloratura for her bird
song. One of the best Nedda's in memory."
The Brooklyn Graphic - Nina
Pantano
LA BOHEME
"Her controlled voice soared strongly and "Donde Lieta" became a
cameo to treasure. She consistently sang with a rich bright tone revealing a
sure command of the requirements needed to effectively portray a Puccini
heroine."
Here's Brooklyn Magazine - Francis
V. Scott
Concerts
Carol Welker is an exceptionally versatile singer. In
the beautiful, but extremely demanding aria, "Sola, perduta abbandonata",
from Puccini’s MANON LESCAUT, her singing was thrilling. It was secure, even
throughout the range, of a rich texture and dramatically speaking, exceptionally
persuasive.
Norway Times - Rolf
Stang
She opened with Beethoven’s concert
aria," Ah Perfido"! Standing poised and serene, she projected
immediately with powerful brilliance. The singer has an intensely focused and
ringing voice in her upper register and a warm appealing middle register. Her’s
is ideal for the demands of opera and oratorio, where a solo voice must soar
over orchestra and chorus in a large auditorium.
The Lincoln County News,
Damariscotta,
Maine - Elsa Hauschka
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