Rebekkah Graves

Soprano

Rebekkah Graves was born in Washington, D.C. and has traveled extensively through the United States; she currently resides in Seattle, Washington. She has been training seriously for a vocal career from an early age. Studies in Voice Performance at Northern Illinois University included art song and opera, as well as early music performance practice and vocal pedagogy. Her instructors have included Myron Myers in Chicago; Genia Las in Buffalo, New York; and Edward Sayegh, a San Francisco-based instructor.

Since completing her degree, Ms. Graves has performed in many solo recitals in Illinois, North Carolina, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle. As a member of the San Francisco Chamber Singers, she participated in a recording of Uses of Music in Uttermost Places, a work by San Francisco-based composer Elinor Armer (a Koch International CD). She has been named "Best Actress in a Musical" by the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics’ Circle for the leading role in an original work with the Lamplighters, itself an award-winning light opera company in San Francisco. She has also taken roles in several operas and light operas, including in L’Étoile by Chabrier (Princess Laoula) with Pocket Opera; the title role in Princess Ida by Gilbert and Sullivan (again with the Lamplighters); the Second Prioress (Madame Lidoine) in Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmelites; Helen in Three Sisters Who Are Not Sisters by Ned Rorem; she has performed in numerous other smaller roles as well.

Ms. Graves' current solo repertoire covers a broad range of languages and styles, and includes such works as Samuel Barber’s Hermit Songs and Knoxville: Summer of 1915; Trois Chansons de Bilitis and other songs by Debussy, Four Fragments from the Canterbury Tales by Lester Trimble, Bachianas Brasileiras #5 by Villa-Lobos as well as many songs by Schubert, Wolf, Brahms, Rorem, Poulenc and others. Operatic repertoire, in addition to the roles she has performed, includes arias by Mozart, Puccini, Wagner, Délibes, Verdi, Gershwin and many others. She is also preparing the mélodies by French composer Charles Bordes (1863-1909) for recording, after having given many of them what are almost certainly their American premieres.

During the 1998-99 season, Ms. Graves was the soprano soloist for the Orchestra Seattle performance of Dvoák’s Stabat Mater, led by George Shangrow. She also made two solo appearances with the Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra, directed by Marsha Mabrey. She has performed the soprano solos in the Requiems of Brahms and Mozart this season; she is scheduled to appear again with the Seattle Philharmonic in February of 2000, performing Samuel Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915.

Critics' comments ...
"…a gorgeous soprano who can act."

"…this vivacious soprano…"

"...ample and ringing. Lovely! … in your ecstatic transports the grasp of the scholar is transmuted into the lyric flair--the richly nuanced aperçus--of the artist.."

Ms. Graves continues to appear in recitals and as soloist with orchestras in the Seattle area.

Povilas Stravinsky

Russian Concert Pianist

The Link below is the best way to find out about this world renown pianist that happens to be the Grandson of The Famous Igor Stravinsky. It will be amazing if he will be willing to perform on our out of shape piano. Bless the heart of this world renown celebrity to even visit our theater let alone possibly play for us.

http://newageflamenco.com/vilis/index.html

Last Revision Friday, November 16, 2007 09:03:51 PM

If you didn't get here from there or to return to our home page click underlined link below

http://www.elmatheater.org

Last revised Friday, November 16, 2007 09:03:51 PM