Sarah Coburn, soprano, Lawrence Brownlee, tenor &
Martin Katz piano

Sarah Coburn

Praised as a "blissfully sublime" by Opera News, Sarah Coburn is captivating audiences with her "precision placement, mercury speed, and a gorgeous liquid gold tone, gilded by a thrilling top and bottom register" (Globe and Mail). Following her performances as Lucie de Lammermoor at Glimmerglass Opera, the New York Observer noted "she turns out to have qualities that have made legends out of so many of her predecessors, from Adelina Patti to Maria Callas: stage charisma, a thrilling upper register and, crucially, a fearlessness about abandoning herself to opera's most abandoned heroine ... this is a palpably exciting voice ... Ms. Coburn is a budding prima donna of exceptional promise."

Lawrence Brownlee

The remarkable Lawrence Brownlee has proven himself to be one of the most prominent bel canto tenors on the international scene. He is lauded continually for the beauty of his voice, his seemingly effortless technical agility, and his dynamic and engaging dramatic skills. His schedule regularly comprises a varied array of debuts and return engagements at renowned music centers for appearances with the world’s pre-eminent opera companies, orchestras and presenting organizations. Mr. Brownlee’s 2008-09 season finds him firmly ensconced in the bel canto music for which he is so admired, adding a trio of new characters to his repertoire: two by Rossini and one by Donizetti.

"His lyric voice falls on the ear with unusual sweetness, even in its upper reaches, yet it carries enough punch to be clearly heard in the vast Met auditorium.  He has mastered the bel canto technique of fast runs, trills and ornamentation that Rossini requires, and stopped the show with his acrobatics in the aria ‘Cessa di più resistere’ late in the evening." Associated Press

Martin Katz

"Martin Katz must surely be considered the dean of collaborative pianists," said the Los Angeles Times, and as if to make this official, Musical America magazine created an award just for him:  Accompanist of the Year.  One of the world's busiest collaborators, he has been in constant demand by the world's most celebrated vocal soloists for more than a quarter-century.  In addition to Mr. Brownlee, he has appeared and recorded regularly with Marilyn Horne, Frederica von Stade, Karita Mattila, Jose Carreras, Cecilia Bartoli, Kiri Te Kanawa, Kathleen Battle,  David Daniels, Sylvia McNair, just to name a few.  Season after season, the world's musical capitals figure prominently in his schedule.  Throughout his long career he has been fortunate to partner some of the world's most esteemed voices:  Renata Tebaldi, Cesare Siepi, Katia Ricciarelli, Tatiana Troyanos, Lucia Valentini, Nicolai Gedda, Régine Crespin, Grace Bumbry, Montserrat Caballé and many others have invited him to share the stage in recitals on five continents.