Hope Briggs

Hope Briggs a native of Jersey City, New Jersey and is well known for her dramatic portrayals and her distinctive soprano voice. This past season she made her impressive San Francisco Opera debut as the Duchess of Parma in Busoni's Doktor Faust., for which Opera News stated, "In her company debut, as the Duchess, soprano Hope Briggs was stellar, delivering one of the evening's highlights with her lusciously intoned, lovelorn aria."Other operatic roles have included The First Lady in Die Zauberflöte at Frankfurt Opera, the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro and Micäela in Carmen at Opera Company of Brooklyn, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni and The First Lady in Die Zauberflöte at Opera San Jose, the title role of Suor Angelica at Pacific Repertory Opera, Leonora in Il Trovatore and Donna Anna in Don Giovanni at Operesque Classical Concerts, and Strawberry Woman in Houston Grand Opera's National Tour of Porgy and Bess. She created the role of Paula in the world premiere of Hector Armienta's River of Women.

On the concert stage Ms. Briggs has performed Verdi's Requiem, Mozart's Coronation Mass and Requiem Vivaldi's Gloria, Villa-Lobos' Bachianas Brasileiras, and Rachmaninoff's Vocalise and Lailstork's I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes. She has been the featured soloist in San Francisco Symphony's The Wondrous Sounds of Christmas; the World Premiere of Marion J. Caffey's Three

Mo' Divas and the Rev. Billy Graham Crusade. She was presented in recital by African-Americans for Los Angeles Opera and has had the honor of performing for Ms. Jessye Norman at the presentation of the Trophée des Arts by the Alliance Francais.

She has been the recipient of numerous awards which include, National Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Metropolitan Opera International Vocal Competition Award, the Encouragement Award from the Licia Albanese Puccini Foundation, and study grants from the Opera Buffs of California and the Barkley Fund.

This season she will make her debut at Stattstheater Stuttgart reprising her role as the Duchess of Parma in Busoni's Doktor Faust. Other upcoming performances include Amelia in Un Ballo in Maschera at Festival Opera of Walnut Creek, a debut with Pacific Symphony as Hanna in scenes from Merry Widow, and Soloist in an orchestral concert with Symphony Parnassus. Next season she will return to Frankfurt Opera to sing Donna Anna in Don Giovanni and perform Dvorak's Stabat Mater with Oakland East Bay Symphony. In 2007 she will reprise the role of Donna Anna at San Francisco Opera.

 

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