Freda Herseth to substitute for ailing Melody Racine as soloist in Ann Arbor Symphony concert
Freda Herseth
The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra today announced a change to its ambitious season-ending performance of Mahler's Third Symphony on Saturday: Freda Herseth will be the feautured vocal soloist, replacing Melody Racine, who is ill with bronchitis.
A2SO Executive Director Mary Steffek Blaske said of Racine, "We love working with her, the audience loves her, and we know how much she has been looking forward to working with Arie and the orchestra again.
"Happily, we are blessed with Freda Herseth, who is coming to support her friend Melody, and to sing in Melody’s place this beautiful solo part for the A2SO concert. This leadership and friendship is inspiring. We look forward to working with Freda and giving our audience a heart-warming season finale concert."
The symphony supplied this biography of Herseth:
"Freda Herseth (mezzo-soprano) has sung critically acclaimed leading roles in opera throughout Germany. She has performed with orchestras and chamber ensembles throughout Europe, Russia and Israel, including the La Scala Opera Orchestra conducted by Riccardo Muti in the world premiere of Richard Wernick's "... and a time for peace," the Israel Sinfonietta, the Stuttgart State Theater Orchestra in the world premiere of William Bolcom's "Songs of Innocence and of Experience," the Frankfurt Radio Orchestra, New York New Music Ensemble, the Haifa Symphony Orchestra, and The Folger Consort of Washington, D.C.
"Well known for her work in contemporary music, Professor Herseth has premiered many works written especially for her. She has performed at the Vienna Festival, Warsaw Autumn Festival, Festival d'Automne at the Bastille Opera in Paris, Steirischer Herbst in Graz, and with the American Music Theater Festival of Philadelphia. Ms. Herseth has been the recipient of numerous awards, including a stipend from the Richard Wagner Society in Bayreuth.
"Ms. Herseth has recorded for CRI, Gasparo, South German Radio and Television, Hessen Radio (Frankfurt), Bavarian Radio (Munich), ORF Austrian Radio and Television, RAI Italian Radio, and Northeastern Records. She was recently honored at the Voice Foundation Annual International Symposium in Philadelphia with the award of the Van Lawrence Fellowship for research and excellence in the field of vocal pedagogy. Ms. Herseth studied with Jan DeGaetani at the Eastman School of Music."