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At
once "poetic, tender... overwhelming... simply magical!" raved
one critic on her European operatic stage debut as Anne Trulove in Stravinsky'sThe
Rake's Progress (Montpellier, 1997). And yet another, on hearing
her in a solo recital of songs in Grenoble, France praised her "very
wide vocal range, clear and limpid high register and beautiful lower
register, her palette of nuances, and great stage presence..."
Soprano Nicole Heaston, a versatile artist who is equally at home in
opera, concert and recital, is quickly coming to the attention of American
and European opera companies and orchestras for her outstanding vocal
talent. In addition to being a 2000 renowned ARIA Awardee, she is the
recipient of a 1999 Career Grant from the Richard Tucker Foundation.
Nicole Heaston made her Metropolitan Opera debut in the 2002/2003 season
in the role of Zerlina in Mozart's Don Giovanni and she returns
in 2003/2004 to sing the same role there. In Kansas City she bowed to
audiences as Musetta in La Boheme, and in Grand Rapids as Gilda
in Rigoletto. She performed in recital this November in Austin,
Texas. In 2003/2004 she will debut Despina in Mozart's Così
Fan Tutte at the Dallas Opera and return to Detroit as Pamina in
Mozart's The Magic Flute.
The 2001/2002 season included covering Ilia in Idomeneo at
the Metropolitan Opera, returning to the Houston Grand Opera for her
role debut as Gilda in Rigoletto. Miss Heaston performed the
role of Gilda also with the Nashville Opera. Nicole Heaston also returned
to Detroit for performances of Le Nozze di Figaro in the role
of Susanna. The artist was heard in recital at William Jewell College
in Kansas City this September.
Engagements for the 2000/2001 season included Nicole's debut with the
New York City Opera performing La Boheme in the role of Musetta.
This exciting production was telecast live nationwide on PBS. In May,
Nicole debuted in Detroit in her first Nanetta in Falstaff.
She appeared this season in concert as soloist with the Indianapolis
Symphony and with the Detroit Symphony as soloist in their Christmas
Concert. Miss Heaston performed the role of Susanna in Le Nozze
di Figaro in her debut with the Glimmerglass Opera.
In the season 1999-2000, Nicole Heaston performed in Un Ballo en
Maschera as Oscar with the San Francisco Opera. Miss Heaston was
heard with the Baltimore Symphony as soloist in Handel's Messiah
in December and returned to the Houston Grand Opera for her first Adina
in L’elisir d'amore and to sing Zerlina in Don Giovanni.
She made her debut in Vienna as Drusilla in L’Incoronazione
di Poppea a role Nicole also performed in Aix-en-Provence and with
the Musiciens du Louvre in Paris. In Aix Miss Heaston also performed
the role of Virtù. Nicole appeared in concert with the Fort Worth
Symphony under the baton of Jahja Ling performing Mozart's Exsultate
Jubilate and Mahler's Symphony No. 4. Nicole was heard
in recital at the Art Song Festival in Cleveland.
The artist added two roles to her repertoire during the 1998-99 season:
Oscar in Un Ballo in Maschera at the Dallas Opera and Drusilla
in Monteverdi's L’Incoronazione di Poppea. She also appeared
as Zerlina in Don Giovanni with the Düsseldorf Opera.
The artist sang (and recorded for Teldec) Bach's B minor Mass
with Boston Baroque and the Mozart Requiem with the Honolulu
Symphony. Ms. Heaston appeared in recital at the Kosciuszko Foundation
in New York City (sponsored by the Marilyn Horne Foundation), as well
as in Little Rock, AK, Jacksonville, FL and Grenoble, France.
Ms. Heaston launched her 1997-98 season with performances of Eve in
Haydn's Creation for the opening of the season of the Flanders
Opera in Belgium and made her European operatic stage debut in Montpellier
as Anne Truelove in The Rake's Progress. In the United States,
she appeared as Pamina in The Magic Flute with the Washington
Opera and Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro with Houston Grand
Opera. Ms. Heaston sang the soprano solos in Handel's Messiah
with the University Musical Society in Ann Arbor and appeared in a movie
based on the work, for which she also recorded the soundtrack under
the baton of Marc Minkowski.
During the 1996-97 season, Ms. Heaston sang performances of Gluck's
Armide with Les Musiciens du Louvre under the baton of Marc
Minkowski -- the work was subsequently recorded by Archiv Production
Deutsche Grammophon. Later that season the artist collaborated again
with Maestro Minkowski in performances of Pergolesi's Stabat Mater
in Grenoble, France. Ms. Heaston created the role of Jacqueline Onassis
in the world premiere of Jackie O with Houston Grand Opera
(the recording is available on CD on the Argo label) and appeared with
the company as Pamina in The Magic Flute. In the summer of
1997, she sang her first Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro
and Ismene in Mozart's Mitridate with Wolf Trap Opera.
During the 1995-96 season, Nicole Heaston made her Houston Grand Opera
debut as Juliette in Gounod's Romeo et Juliette. She also performed
the role of Saint Settlement in Virgil Thomson's Four Saints In
Three Acts and Mrs. Hayes in Susannah with the company.
Ms. Heaston has performed the roles of Susanna in The Marriage of
Figaro, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Susanne in the world
premiere performance and recording of Schubert's opera Der Graf
von Gleichen, Pamina in The Magic Flute, Miss Silverpeal
in The Impresario, and Anna Gomez in The Consul. In
the summer of 1995, Ms. Heaston performed in Europe with Maestro Marc
Minkowski, in Handel's La Resurrezione as Angelo in Dido
and Aeneas as Belinda and the First Witch.
Equally at home on the concert stage, the artist has performed the soprano
solos in Handel's Messiah, Bach's B minor Mass and St. Matthew
Passion, Neue Liebeslieder Waltzes, A Song of Thanksgiving
and Dona Nobis Pacem by Vaughan Williams.
Nicole Heaston recorded Bach's B minor Mass with Boston Baroque
which was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Choral Album in 2000.
Ms. Heaston's many awards and prize winning competitions include the
1999 Richard Tucker Award - Jacobson Study Grant, the Shoshana Foundation
Grant, the Robert Weede Corbett Award, the Oper Guild of Dayton Competition,
the Opera/Columbus Competition, the San Antonio Opera Guild Competition,
the Metropolitan Opera Regional Audition-Encouragement Award, and Houston
Grand Opera's Eleanor McCollum Award Competition.
Nicole Heaston completed her Masters Degree in Voice at the Cincinnati
Conservatory of Music. She received her undergraduate degree from the
University of Akron.
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Photo and reference materials courtesy of Columbia Artists Management
Inc.
165 West 57th St. Broadway, NY. NY 10019
Photo Credit: Sunny Schwab
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