Speaker Information
Biography:
Angel Blue has emerged in recent seasons as one of the most important sopranos before the public today. On September 23, 2019 she opened the Metropolitan Opera's 2019/2020 season as Bess in a new production of George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess; she will reprise this role at the Met in Fall 2021. These performances followed her internationally praised French Opera debut and role debut as Floria Tosca at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in July of 2019. She has also been praised for performances in many other theaters, such as the Vienna State Opera, Semperoper Dresden, San Francisco Opera, Seattle Opera, Theater an der Wien, Oper Frankfurt, and San Diego Opera. In the current season, Ms. Blue will make her debut at the Staatsoper Berlin in the title role of Tosca. She will also appear in recital at Carnegie Hall, in concert in Malta and at the Carmel Bach Festival, and in galas in St. Petersburg and Santa Fe. On September 27, 2021, Ms. Blue made history by performing the role of Destiny/Loneliness/Greta in Terrance Blanchard’s Fire Shut up in My Bones, the first production at the Metropolitan Opera by a Black composer.
American pianist, Douglas Sumi, is a frequent collaborator with many of today’s artists and opera theaters. He is a versatile artist, comfortable in the capacities of pianist, coach, and assistant conductor, and has a recognized commitment to song and opera. He has assisted conductors such as James Conlon, Patrick Summers, Michele Mariotti, and Emmanuel Villaume. He has worked with artists such as Renée Fleming, Plácido Domingo, Carol Vaness, Sir Thomas Allen, Vladimir Chernov, Linda Watson, Joyce DiDonato, Charles Castronovo, Juan Diego Flórez, Alek Shrader, Ailyn Pérez, Jamie Barton, Ryan McKinny, Angel Blue, Janai Brugger, and members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Opera Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, and Boston Symphony Orchestra. Most notably, he collaborated with Renée Fleming in recital, after their work together in A Streetcar Named Desire. He has performed throughout Europe and North America, including the Kennedy Center for the Arts.
Read more on the Department of Music website.
