Born: USA

The American mezzo-soprano, Judith Malafronte, has won several top awards in Italy, Spain, Belgium, and the USA, including the Grand Prize at the International Vocal Competition in Hertogenbosch, Holland. She holds degrees with honors from Vassar College and Stanford University, and also studied at the Eastman School of Music, In Paris with Mlle. Nadia Boulanger, and in Milan with Giulietta Simionato as a Fulbright scholar.

Judith Malafronte has appeared with numerous orchestras and oratorio societies including the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl, the San Francisco Symphony, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the St. Louis and Baltimore Symphonies, Musica Sacra of New York, Seattle Baroque Orchestra, and the Händel and Haydn Society. She has sung at the Tanglewood Festival, the Boston Early Music Festival, the Utrecht (Holland) Early Music Festival, and the Spoleto Festival (Ariodante). She is a frequent guest artist with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, the Dave Brubeck Quartet, American Bach Soloists, the Taverner Consort, the Musicians of Swanne Alley, the Newberry Consort, the Boston Museum Trio and the Harp Consort.

Judith Malafronte's operatic performances have included the title role in Händel's Serse at the Göttingen Festival, Scarlatti's L'Aldimiro at the Berkeley Festival, Dido and Aeneas with Mark Morris Dance Group (singing both Dido and the Sorceress), and Nero in Monteverdi's L'Incoronazione di Poppea for the Aston Magna Festival. She has also sung leading roles at the opera houses of Lyon (Tamerlano), Liège, and Montpellier (Il Ritorno di Ulisse).

Judith Malafronte has recorded for BMG, Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, EMI, Koch Classics, and harmonia mundi USA in a wide range of repertoire, from the 12^th century chant of Hildegard von Bingen to the Deutsche Motette of Richard Strauss, and including Händel operas, Bach Cantatas, medieval music and Spanish 17^th century music. Her most recent releases include two operas: Händel's Serse (with Nicholas McGegan) and Torrejon's La Purpura de la Rosa (with Andrew Lawrence-King), and St. Matthew Passion (BWV 244) with American Bach Soloists (Koch).

Source: Thea Dispeker Website (September 2000); Liner notes to the CD ‘J.S. Bach: Transcriptions of Italian Music’, conducted by Jeffrey Thomas w/ABS (Koch, 1995)
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (June 2001, April 2003)

Recordings of Bach Cantatas & Other Vocal Works

Conductor

As

Works

Jeffrey Thomas

Alto

BWV 182, BWV 198, BWV 244, BWV 1083

Links to other Sites

Judith Malafronte (Dispeker)

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