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The American mezzo-soprano, Faith Sherman, earned her Bachelor of Music dgree from The Eastman School of Music (1999-2003), her Master of Music degree from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (2003-2005), and her Artist Diploma from The Juilliard School, Juilliard Opera Center (2005-2007). She has also participated at Young Artist Programs: Music Academy of the West (Summers 2002, 2003), San Francisco Opera Center’s Merola Program (Summer 2005), Wolf Trap Opera Company (Summers 2006, 2007), and Houston Grand Opera Studio (2007–present). Among her teachers were Rita Shane (The Eastman School of Music, 1999-2003), William McGraw (Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, 2003-2005), Steven Smith (The Juilliard School, 2005-2007), and Stephen King (Houston Grand Opera Studio (2007-present). She was the winner of the Houston Grand Opera Eleanor McCollum Competition in 2007 and the New England Regional Metropolitan Opera Auditions. She was also a semi-finalist in the 2007 Metropolitan Opera National Auditions.
While at the Juilliard School, Faith Sherman has been heard in Mozart's Requiem for the 9/11 Memorial Concert at Carnegie Hall, as well as performances in “Songs of Peace and War” and “100 years of Juilliard Composers in Song” with the New York Festival of Song. Her appearances with the Juilliard Opera Center include Clytemnestre in Gluck's Iphigénie en Aulide, Ramiro in Mozart's La finta giardiniera, Fay Doyle in the world premiere of Lowell Liebermann's Miss Lonelyhearts, and Hermia in Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Acclaimed by the New York Times as a “luminous mezzo-soprano,” Faith Sherman has enjoyed successes on both operatic and concert stages. Past performances include Johannes Brahms's Alto Rhapsody with the Cincinnati Conservatory Orchestra, Mrs. Allan in Argento's The Voyage of Edgar Allan Poe, and Mother/Witch in Engelbert Humperdinck's Hänsel und Gretel. She was also a member of San Francisco Opera’s prestigious Merola Program where she sang the title role in scenes from Rossini's La Cenerentola.
In summer of 2006, Faith Sherman debuted with the Wolf Trap Opera Company as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro. She also performed as an improvisational artist in Wolf Trap's “Instant Opera!” and collaborated with Steven Blier in a Spanish song recital. In 2007, she returned to Wolf Trap Opera Company to sing Erminella in Volpone by John Musto and Second Lady in Die Zauberflöte. The live recording of Volpone was recently nominated for a Grammy Award in the “Best Opera Recording” category.
In the 2008-2009 season at Houston Grand Opera, Faith Sherman was seen in performances as Beatrice in Berlioz’s Beatrice and Benedict, a role she shared with Joyce DiDonato, to great acclaim. In addition, she covered Hermia in B. Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and sang performances of the Countess Ceprano in Verdi’s Rigoletto and Mrs. Rowlandson in the world premiere of André Previn’s Brief Encounter. As a Studio member, she was featured in scenes as Sesto in La clemenza di Tito, Mercèdes in Carmen, Charlotte in Werther, and Sister Helen Prejean in Dead Man Walking. She also was heard as mezzo-soprano soloist in Houston Grand Opera’s The Refuge by Christopher Theofanidis, which has been released on recording by Albany Records.
In 2009-2010 season, Faith Sherman covered Frederica von Stade as Madeleine in Jake Heggie's Last Acts at Houston Grand Opera. She was also showcased in HGO Studio's scenes as Charlotte in Werther, Béatrice in Béatrice et Bénédict, and Wellgunde in Das Rheingold. She sang recitals at Rienzi and the Taste This! series in Houston and was also presented in recital at the San Antonio Museum of Art. In the summer of 2008, she sang Dorabella in Chautauqua Opera's production of Così fan tutte.
Faith Sherman recently made “a sensational European debut” (Financial Times) at the English National Opera in Kaijia Saariaho’s L’amour de loin as the Pilgrim to rave reviews from the international press. This season (2009-2010), she will be seen in Bolcom’s Lucrezia and Musto’s Bastianello at Wolf Trap Opera as part of their concert series, as well as cover Frederica von Stade in Jake Heggie’s Three Decembers at Chicago Opera Theater. In the future, she will be seen at Oper Frankfurt as Concepción in L’heure espagnole, Chicago Opera Theater, and a return to the English National Opera. |
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“Their poise is matched by Richard Stokes’s translation, by Roderick Williams, Joan Rogers and Faith Sherman (a sensational European debut) in the three roles, and by the orchestra and chorus under Edward Gardner...” - Andrew Clark, Financial Times, July 5, 2009 - The Pilgrim in 'L'amour de loin' for her European debut at ENO
“The American mezzo-soprano Faith Sherman makes a striking debut as the Pilgrim…” - Rupert Christiansen, The Telegraph, July 6, 2009 - The Pilgrim in 'L'amour de loin' for her European debut at ENO
“Faith Sherman's portrayal of the Pilgrim seemed to be the hit of the night. She certainly brought character to the assumption, colourful in her interactions with the others, and affecting at the end, and of all three characters she made the most of Saariaho’s wonderful sleights of hand between arioso and speech at the ends and beginnings of some lines.” - Stephen Graham, Musicalcriticism.com, July 5, 2009 - The Pilgrim in 'L'amour de loin' for her European debut at ENO |
