Mezzo-soprano Audrey Babcock is quickly gaining momentous acclaim as a fresh and vibrant interpreter of Carmen. Her richly hued voice, commanding presence, alluring body language, and sharply honed acting skills give her performances startling poignancy and depth, making her a sought after figure on the operatic scene.
The 2010-2011 season features Ms. Babcock as Carmen with Nashville Opera and Opera Naples (debut), a reprise of her award-winning portrayal of Jo in Little Women with Utah Opera, as Maddalena in Rigoletto with Virginia Opera, as well as a guest appearance with the National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica for Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, Resurrection and the Eugene Symphony for Beethoven's 9th. Engagements for 2009-2010 included Maddalena in Rigoletto with Nashville Opera, Opera Company of North Carolina, Florentine Opera and Tulsa Opera, as well as Aldonza/Dulcinea in Man of La Mancha with Shreveport Opera and Carmen for Wichita Grand Opera. Ms. Babcock also made her European debut in Carmen with the Savonlinna Opera Festival in 2010.
Engagements for the 2008 season included Carmen at San Antonio Opera where the SACurrent said, “Babcock’s voice is sultry and pillowy…she screamed sex”, Rigoletto with Toledo Opera and the World Premier of the one woman show, Lily; her life, his music at Dicapo Opera, NYC. Also in the 2008-2009 season Ms. Babcock was heard as Dorabella in Così Fan Tutte with Opera Idaho, Jo in Little Women with Syracuse Opera, and at Utah Festival Opera as Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana and Carmen in Carmen. Ms. Babcock recently appeared as Aldonza/Dulcinea in Man of La Mancha with Lyric Opera of San Diego, The Third Lady in The Magic Flute with Opera Pacific, the Verdi Requiem with West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Flora in La Traviata with Cincinnati Opera and the title role in Carmen with both Toledo Opera and Intermountain Opera. In the 2006-2007 season Ms. Babcock was featured in a televised concert series with world renowned mezzo, Regina Resnik. Other season highlights include the title role in the New York Premier of Tobias Picker’s Thérèse Raquin at Dicapo Opera, Carmen in The Tragedy of Carmen at Opera on the James, and Aldonza/Dulcinea in Man of La Mancha with Utah Festival Opera Company, about which the Herald Journal reported, “[Babcock’s] Aldonza/Dulcinea is gritty and real in her anger, and then in her tenderness toward Quixote. Vocally, she is right on the money, and physically, she is up to this very demanding role.”
In addition to performances with the New York City Opera, Seattle Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Florida Grand Opera, and The New World Symphony, Ms. Babcock is equally noteworthy in her symphonic concert and recital engagements, which have included Verdi’s Requiem with the Charleston Symphony and West Virginia Symphony, Viva Verdi! (Mobile Opera), Murder and other Operatic Mayhem with the National Symphony Orchestra and Where the Boys Are with musical director, Steve Blier. Of her recital at the Phillips Collection, the Washington Post noted “…[Ms. Babcock’s] diction is excellent and…she used language with extraordinary power and dramatic impact…[Kurt] Weill’s brashness and Babcock’s dramatic strengths are a perfect match.” And of her side-splitting portrayal of Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, The Washington Times described her as “…a strutting, comic sensation...”
Ms. Babcock is also active as a producer and recording artist. At Dicapo Opera, she premiered Lily, a bold new multimedia production about a woman's escape from Nazi Germany, as told through the music of Kurt Weill. Working with film composer, David Majzlin, she released the album, Songs for Carmen, a modern-reinterpretation of Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) folk songs, and Ms. Babcock also tours with Flamenco Guitarist, Dan Nadel, in her signature show, Beyond Carmen, a journey through Spanish music from medieval and Ladino works to 20th century composers.
Ms. Babcock is a winner of the George London Award, the Fritz and Lavinia Jensen Foundation award, and an Opera Index Encouragement Award. She was also a Metropolitan Opera Regional Finalist two years in a row, was a first place winner in the Friday Morning Music Club Washington International Voice Competition, and placed in the Florida Grand YPO Voice Competition, Palm Beach Opera Voice Competition, and the Liederkranz Foundation Scholarship Award.
Ms. Babcock is represented by Ana DeArchuleta Artist Management.
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