Susan Owen

Susan Owen - Leinert ( born September 6, 1958 in Salisbury, North Carolina ) is an American opera singer, singing teacher and editor. She is married to the director, playwright and author Michael Leinert.

Life

Susan Owen - Leinert grew up on the family farm in North Carolina. Her musical studies when she graduated from East Carolina University in the years 1976 - 1980 (Bachelor of Music). Then she continued her studies at the University of Texas in Austin continued and closed it in 1983 with the " Master of Music " - Degree from. As an Assistant Professor of Voice and Music History Susan Owen worked from 1984-87 at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She was in Lyrico spinto - box at various opera houses in the United States engaged ( among others as Fiordiligi, Countess, Donna Elvira, Nedda, Mimi, Madama Butterfly, Tosca, etc.).

In 1990, Susan Owen - Leinert the prestigious Metropolitan Opera Competition. A year later she was first prize winner at the Opera America Award and Grant Sullivan - Prize and a finalist in the Luciano Pavarotti competition. Roles like Tosca ( Central City Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, and Virginia Opera), Maddalena in Andrea Chénier followed the (Hawaii Opera), Aida and others. With Eve Queler and the Opera Orchestra New York she sang Irene in Wagner's Rienzi.

In 1993 she took Maestro Daniel Barenboim for the role of Helmwige in Die Walküre at the Staatsoper Berlin. Here debuted Susan Owen as Senta in Der Fliegende Holländer in 1996 (conductor: Jun Märkl ). Susan Owen, the Senta in Bologna sung with the Orchestra of Emilia Romagna Arturo Toscanini, in numerous performances in Aachen and at the Staatstheater Kassel. Another Richard Wagner - part singing Susan Owen - Leinert successfully at the Austin Lyric Opera in Texas: the Elisabeth in Tannhäuser (1996). Both matches, Venus and Elisabeth she later sang at the Palm Beach Opera in Florida under the musical direction of Maestro Anton Guadagno.

From 1995 to 1999, Susan Owen - Leinert firmly committed member of the ensemble of the Staatstheater Kassel. Among her successes include large Kassel next to the Senta Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana, Leonora in La Forza del Destino, which, just to name a Giorgetta in Il tabarro few. Among the particular experiences of her career, the encounter with János Kulka heard: he has conducted in Kassel in 1997, she sang the title role in Janáček's opera Jenufa.

1996 Susan Owen - Leinert was invited by Radio France to bring a new work by Zygmunt Krauze Polish composer La terre premiere ( part of the Festival of Contemporary Music in Paris). The German premiere of this 30-minute orchestral work for soprano took place at the documenta X in Kassel in September 1997. Again, as with the world premiere in Paris, the Swiss composer and long-time director Rolf Liebermann by Susan Owens voice and interpretation of art was thrilled.

In the new Kassel Ring des Nibelungen (1997-1999) was Susan Owen as Brünnhilde (1998 /99) the discovery of the year, as the press wrote, alongside her partner Christian Franz as Siegfried. The Valkyries - Brünnhilde sang, inter alia, also at the Opera Bonn and Kiel, in Liège with James Morris ( Wotan ), the Siegfried -. Brünnhilde at the Teatro Lirico G. Verdi Trieste, at the Kiel Opera House and in Liège

After their highly acclaimed by public and press debut at the Staatstheater Darmstadt in the role of Elektra by Richard Strauss in April 1998 ( musical director: Marc Albrecht ) Susan Owen - Leinert sang at the first Ancient Festival in Trier this game with Anja Silja ( Clytemnestra ) and Franz ground lifter ( Orestes ), alternating with Hildegard Behrens in July 1998 on 27 February 1999 was the Staatstheater Kassel another games debut with Alban Berg's Wozzeck -. Marie, directed by Michael Leinert and under the baton of Marc Piollet.

1999 Susan Owen sang at the Staatstheater Darmstadt, dyer in Strauss' Die Frau ohne Schatten and Emilia Marty in Leoš Janáček Vec Makropoulos. 2000 saw the Staatstheater Darmstadt with Susan Owen - Leinert out a new production of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde with her as Isolde. Guest performances followed at the Aalto Theatre in Essen and at the symphony concerts in Münster in the role of Elektra (conductor Will Humburg ). Last Susan Owen sang the same role at the Staatsoper Hannover.

Under the musical direction of Christian Thielemann she sang on 27 May 2001, the game of Isolde ( German Opera Berlin), with which it had made ​​its debut on May 20 already in Berlin, conducted by Jiri Kout successful. Current role she sang in 2002 in Dusseldorf - Duisburg ( German Opera on the Rhine ) under the baton of Hans Wallat.

In September 2001, Susan Owen - Leinert had its successful debut at the Semperoper Dresden in the role of the Dyer's Wife in Strauss's Die Frau ohne Schatten with the conductor Marc Albrecht. In December 2001, Susan Owen - Leinert sang the resumption premiere of Wagner's Der Fliegende Holländer ( Senta ) at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein Dusseldorf -Duisburg. At the Staatstheater Darmstadt, she made her debut as Ortrud in Lohengrin in February 2002. At the Opera House by Nancy she sang in a new production of Tristan und Isolde, the role of Isolde.

Susan Owen - Leinert given numerous recitals and concerts, among other things, with programs from Heinrich -Heine -Lieder, Richard Strauss compositions and works by contemporary composers. With the solo part in Peter Maxwell Davies ' The medium she gave in October 2007 aufsehenerregndes her debut at the Chamber Opera of Memphis.

Teaching

Since summer 2005, Susan Owen - Leinert has been a professor of voice at the University of Memphis / Tennessee, USA. Here she gives her hands-on knowledge and international experience to young singers on. She is since 2005 director of the Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions ( West Tennessee District ). The Memphis Opera & Song Academy, a successful summer course for singers at the University of Memphis, which she founded in 2006, is also under her leadership. She is since 2011 Associate Professor of Voice and Head of the Vocal Arts Division at the University of Memphis.

In addition to her extensive teaching - and concert performances, she has chamber operas by Bent Lorentzen translated into English (A Wondrous Love Story and Pergolesi 's Home Service ). She is the first Herausgaberin, kritisachen complete edition of the songs of Louis Spohr, who were believed unknown and partly lost and since 2011 by Verlag Dohr completely, Cologne, present in 12 volumes. Prof. Owen - Leinert is president of the Spohr Society of the United States.

Awards

• Winner of the Metropolitan Opera Competition in 1990
• 1st prize winner of Opera America Award and Grant Sullivan - Award 1991
• Winner of the CCFA Dean's Creative Achievement Award 2009 The University of Memphis.

Discography

• Richard Wagner: Die Walküre, 2007 Ars Produktion ARS 38 052 ( as Brünnhilde )
• Richard Wagner: Siegfried, 1999 Ars Produktion FCD 368367-370 ( as Brünnhilde )
• Richard Wagner: Götterdämmerung, 2001 Ars Produktion FCD 368381-384 ( as Brünnhilde )
• From the Treasure Chest of German song (1460-1933), High Water Classic Memphis, HC 31688, 2006; Songs from five centuries with Mark Ensley (piano) and Carina L. Nyberg Washington ( clarinet)