Elizabeth Weigle

Biography
2008-2009

A native of Harrisburg, PA, soprano Elizabeth Weigle received critical acclaim for her “fine-spun performance” of Handel’s Messiah with her “exquisite control of volume, pitch and line and her easy adornments” (American Bach Soloistis, San Jose Mercury News”. Of her Carmina Burana performances: “Ms. Weigle’s crystalline soprano mourns the vicissitudes of love lost, reaching a D above high C that is nothing short of inspiring.” (Pueblo Chieftain.)

During the 2008-09 season Elizabeth performs Handel’s Messiah at both Carnegie Hall and at Washington National Cathedral. She returns to Washington National Cathedral for Bach’s St. John Passion and then travels to historic Mechanics Hall in Wooster, MA for Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. Elizabeth also enjoys performing music of her time, and will sing Paul McCartney’s Ecce Cor Meum at Allentown Symphony Hall, as well as Morton Feldman’s Rabbi Akkiba, with Slee Sinfonia, the new music orchestra based at SUNY Buffalo. Her chamber music recitals this season include collaborations with guitarist Daniel Lippel, performing works written for the two of them at Wesley College, as well as recitals in Philadelphia, with pianist Gilya Hodos and guitarist Allen Krantz. Elizabeth concludes her season with performances of Orff’s Carmina Burana at Dickinson College and Gounod’s St. Cecilia Mass with the Chorus of Westerly (Westerly, RI). Elizabeth is featured on three recordings by American composers to be released this season: Lucas Foss’ The Prairie, recorded with The Providence Singers; Bay area composer Brian Holmes’ Three Hunting Songs for soprano and French Horn quartet, recorded with QUADRE-the voice of four horns; and the very first recording of Morton Feldman’s Rabbi Akkiba with Slee Sinfonia.

Elizabeth’s recent orchestral/oratorio performances include Mahler’s Symphony Number Four with Colorado Symphony and Andrew Litton-conductor, Carmina Burana at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore, Bach’s Mass in B Minor at Washington National Cathedral, Mozart’s Missa Solemnis with Santa Fe Symphony, Beethoven’s Symphony Number Nine with Portland Symphony, the role of Peri in Schumann’s Das Paradise und die Peri with Boston’s Back Bay Chorale, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass with the Chorus of Westerly, Brahms’ Requiem with the Camerata Singers (Bethlehem, PA), and Honegger’s King David with the Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia.

A frequent collaborator with many of the finest period instrument orchestras throughout the United States, Elizabeth has recently performed Handel’s Messiah and Bach’s Cantata 51 Jauchzett Gott with American Bach Soloists in San Francisco. With the Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado, she sang Handel’s virtuosic Gloria for soprano and strings and Bach’s Wedding Cantata, BWV 202. In a live Public Radio broadcast, Elizabeth performed and recorded Mozart’s Requiem (Koch label) with Apollo’s Fire on their tenth anniversary celebration at Cleveland’s Severance Hall. Other early music credits include performances and recordings with New York Collegium, Boston Camerata, Boston Baroque, Cantata Singers, L’Antica Musica New York, Concert Royale, ARTEK, New York Early Music Celebration and the Rochester Bach, Boston Early Music, and Carmel Bach Festivals.

An enthusiastic advocate for music of her own time, Elizabeth frequently premieres works written for her. Recent world premieres include Prix de Rome winner Theofanidis Now is the Time that Hope Has Come at the Juilliard Theater, Shende’s Three Longfellow Poems with Portland Symphony, multi grammy winner Mike Reid’s Eye of the Blackbird with the Kandinsky Trio at the Kennedy Center, and Chen’s 66 Times, the Voice of Pines and Cedars at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (Albany label). At the request of composer Oliver Knussen, Elizabeth performed his Hums and Songs of Winnie the Pooh on the Making Music series at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall - a work she has also sung at Tanglewood. With Kristjan Järvi’s Absolute Ensemble, she performed and made a world debut recording of the chamber music version of Mahler’s Symphony Number Four, as well as premiered Charles Coleman’s Nine By Dickinson (written for her) at New York’s Merkin Concert Hall.
On the operatic stage, Elizabeth received critical acclaim for her role as Pat Nixon in John Adams’ Nixon in China (Opera Boston), hailed by The Boston Herald as “a perfect Pat Nixon”. The New York Times also praised her “impressive performance as the Governess” in Britten’s Turn of the Screw. Other roles include Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier (Chautauqua Orchestra), Despina in Cosi fan Tutte (Chautauqua Opera), world premiere Aethelred the Unready (American Symphony Orchestra, Albany label), Singer No. 1 in Conrad Susa’s Transformations (Center for Contemporary Opera, New York City), and Barbarina in Nozze di Figaro (Virginia Opera).

A graduate of the Eastman School of Music where she was the youngest student of the late Jan DeGaetani, Ms. Weigle received her Masters degree from the Manhattan School of Music with continued studies at The Juilliard School. The recipient of a Sullivan Foundation Award (Hugh Ross) for Outstanding Vocal Performances from the Manhattan School of Music, she was also awarded Fellowships to the Tanglewood Music Center and the Aspen Music Festival, AGMA Apprenticeships at both Chautauqua Opera (NY) and Virginia Opera, and a Fellowship to the Carmel Bach Festival. She has recorded for the Nonesuch, Erato, Koch and Albany labels. Elizabeth lives with her husband and their two cats in Philadelphia. She teaches voice at St. Joseph’s University and at her Philadelphia studio.