{{Short description|American operatic soprano}} {{Infobox person | name = Brenda Rae | image = | image_upright = | caption = | birth_date = February 8, 1982 | birth_place = Appleton, Wisconsin, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | education = {{plainlist| * University of Wisconsin–Madison }} | occupation = Operatic soprano | organizations = Frankfurt Opera | website = }} '''Brenda Rae''' (born February 8, 1982) is an American operatic soprano who has performed leading roles in opera houses internationally. She was a resident artist at the Frankfurt Opera from 2008<ref name="ON"/> through 2017.<ref name="FO end" /> She is a featured performer on the Naxos Records 2015 recording of Milhaud's ''L'Orestie d'Eschyle'', which was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-grammys-2015-nominees-winners-list-story.html|title=Grammys 2015: Complete list of winners and nominees|date=February 8, 2015|work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>
==Life and career== Born and raised in Appleton, Wisconsin, Rae is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison (Bachelor of Music, 2004) and the Juilliard School (Master of Music, 2006).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://host.madison.com/wsj/entertainment/music/dollars-bring-new-era-to-university-opera/article_677707d4-fbd6-5dfd-acf6-f50525ae73c4.html|title=Dollars bring new era to University Opera|author=Gayle Worland|work=Wisconsin State Journal|date=September 4, 2015}}</ref><ref name="ON">{{cite news|url=http://www.operanews.com/Opera_News_Magazine/2014/6/Departments/Sound_Bites_%E2%80%94%C2%A0Brenda_Rae.html|title=Sound Bites: Brenda Rae|work=Opera News|date=June 2014|author= F. Paul Driscoll}}</ref> In the summer of 2008, Rae attended the conservatory program at the Music Academy of the West,<ref name="MAotW alumni">{{cite web| title=Alumni Roster| url=http://www.musicacademy.org/school/alumni/alumni-roster/voice| website=musicacademy.org| accessdate=30 January 2020| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120605021001/http://www.musicacademy.org/school/alumni/alumni-roster/voice| archivedate=5 June 2012| url-status=dead}}</ref> before joining the Ensemble of the Oper Frankfurt.<ref name="Sauda 2017">{{cite news |last1=Sauda |first1=Enrico |title=Niemals geht man so ganz: Brenda Rae verlässt die Oper |url=https://www.fnp.de/frankfurt/niemals-geht-ganz-brenda-verlaesst-oper-10457800.html |accessdate=30 January 2020 |work=Frankfurter Neue Presse |date=6 June 2017 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200130092606/https://www.fnp.de/frankfurt/niemals-geht-ganz-brenda-verlaesst-oper-10457800.html |archivedate=30 January 2020 |location=Frankfurt, Germany |language=de-DE}}</ref>
While a student at Juilliard she portrayed roles in several productions of the Juilliard Opera Center, including Mary Shrike in the world premiere of Lowell Liebermann's ''Miss Lonelyhearts'' (2006), Eurydice in Offenbach's ''Orpheus in the Underworld'' (2006), Arminda in Mozart's ''La finta giardiniera'' (2007), and the Countess Adele in Rossini's ''Le comte Ory'' (2007).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/28/arts/music/28juil.html|title=A Nathanael West Novel Gets Its Turn on the Opera Stage|date=April 28, 2006|work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/18/arts/music/18juil.html|title=A U.P.S. Man Joins Offenbach's Gods and Goddesses|author=Bernard Holland|author-link=Bernard Holland|work=The New York Times|date=November 18, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/27/arts/music/27fint.html|title=Young Mozart, Classically Serious and Silly|author=Vivien Schweitzer |date=April 27, 2007|work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/16/arts/16ross.html|title=Tomorrow's Opera Singers Today|work=The New York Times|author=Anne Midgette|author-link=Anne Midgette|date=November 16, 2007}}</ref> In 2013 she made her debut at Carnegie Hall as Polissena in Handel's ''Radamisto'' with David Daniels in the title role and conductor Harry Bicket leading The English Concert orchestra.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/26/arts/music/handels-radamisto-at-carnegie-hall.html|title=Giving Voice to a Tale of Pursuit and Desire|date=February 25, 2013|author=James R. Oestreich|author-link=James R. Oestreich|work=The New York Times}}</ref> That same year she made her debut at the Santa Fe Opera as Violetta in Verdi's ''La traviata''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/08/arts/music/natures-power-meets-star-power-in-santa-fe.html|title=Nature's Power Meets Star Power in Santa Fe|author=James R. Oestreich|author-link=James R. Oestreich|work=The New York Times|date=August 7, 2013}}</ref> She returned to Santa Fe in 2014 as Donna Anna in Mozart's ''Don Giovanni'' and The Cook in ''Le Rossignol''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/22/arts/international/a-reflective-don-giovanni-facing-up-to-his-end.html?mtrref=query.nytimes.com&gwh=7E6DF56BC5A040E223C43131A3BF36C0&gwt=pay|title=A Reflective Giovanni, Facing Up to His End|date=May 22, 2014|author=George Loomis|work=The New York Times}}</ref> In 2015 she portrayed the title role in Handel's ''Semele'' at the Seattle Opera.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://vanguardseattle.com/2015/02/27/divas-rule-stage-seattle-operas-semele/|title=Divas Rule The Stage at Seattle Opera's "Semele"|author=Johann Van Niekerk|date= February 27, 2015|work=Vanguard Seattle}}</ref> In 2017 she sang the title role in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor at Santa Fe.<ref name="AlbuquJ-2017-07-03">{{cite news | title='Lucia di Lammermoor' full of style and passion | url=https://www.abqjournal.com/1027585/lucia-di-lammermoor-full-of-style-and-passion.html | first=D. S. | last=Crafts | author-link=Daniel Steven Crafts | work=Albuquerque Journal | date=July 3, 2017 | access-date=2017-07-22 }} </ref>
Rae has performed in many operas at the Frankfurt Opera, beginning with her debut there in 2008 as a member of the ensemble,<ref name="ON"/> and as a guest after 2017.<ref name="Sauda 2017"/><ref name="FO end">{{cite web |title=Ensemble / Gäste - Oper Frankfurt |url=http://oper-frankfurt.de/de/ensemble-gaeste-teams/ensemble/?detail=64 |website=oper-frankfurt.de |accessdate=30 January 2020 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170506011817/http://www.oper-frankfurt.de/de/ensemble-gaeste-teams/ensemble/?detail=64 |archivedate=6 May 2017 |language=de-DE |url-status=live }}</ref> Her other performances there include Aithra in ''Die agyptische Helena'' by Richard Strauss (2015), Amina in Bellini's ''La sonnambula'' (2014–2015), Angelica in Vivaldi's ''Orlando furioso'', Anne Trulove in Stravinsky's ''The Rake's Progress'' (2012), Cleopatra in Handel's ''Giulio Cesare'' (2012–2013), Eternità and Giunone in Cavalli's ''La Calisto'' (2011–2012), Fiordiligi in Mozart's ''Così fan tutte'' (2014), Helmwige in Wagner's ''Die Walküre'' (2012), Konstanze in Mozart's ''Die Entführung aus dem Serail'' (2011), Lora in Wagner's ''Die Feen'' (2011), Musetta in Puccini's ''La bohème'' (2012), Olympia in Offenbach's ''The Tales of Hoffmann'' (2011), Pamina in Mozart's ''Die Zauberflöte'' (2011), Servilia in his ''La clemenza di Tito'' (2011), Violetta in Verdi's ''La traviata'' (2011), Zerbinetta in ''Ariadne auf Naxos'' by Richard Strauss (2013–2014), and the title roles in Donizetti's ''Maria Stuarda'' (2012) and ''Lucia di Lammermoor'' (2015–2016), among others.<ref name="ON"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.operabase.com/a/Brenda_Rae/2303|title=Brenda Rae|work=operabase.com|accessdate=May 3, 2016}}</ref>
Rae's other European performances include appearances at the Bavarian State Opera (debut as Konstanze, 2012), Glyndebourne Festival Opera (Arminda in Handel's ''Rinaldo'', 2011), Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux (Zerbinetta, 2011), and the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (debut as Polissena in Handel's ''Radamisto'', 2013) among others.<ref name="ON"/> In 2017, she appeared as Amenaide in Rossini's ''Tancredi'' with Opera Philadelphia.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.operanews.com/Opera_News_Magazine/2016/2/News/Opera_Philadelphia_2016-17_Season.html|title=Opera Philadelphia's 2016-17 Season to Feature World Premiere of Mazzoli's Breaking the Waves, Reimagined Macbeth and Blythe as Tancredi|date=February 16, 2016|work=Opera News}}</ref>
Rae made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 2020, in the role of Poppea in Handel's ''Agrippina''. Other roles at the Metropolitan include the title role in Alban Berg's ''Lulu'', Zerbinetta in ''Ariadne auf Naxos'' by Richard Strauss, and Ophelia in Brett Dean's ''Hamlet''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Metropolitan Opera Association |url=http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/frame.htm |website=archives.metoperafamily.org |accessdate=7 February 2020 |archive-date=12 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180812164001/http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/frame.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Rae was to appear as Rosina in Rossini's ''Il Barbiere di Siviglia'' but the Met's 2020{{ndash}}2021 season was cancelled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, Rae was a recipient of the Met's Beverly Sills Artist Award. Usually given to one artist each year, five awards were presented that year in recognition of the economic impact the pandemic had on singers.<ref>{{cite web |title=Baritone Will Liverman wins the Met's 2022 Beverly Sills Artist Award |website=metopera.org |date=May 4, 2022 |url=https://www.metopera.org/about/press-releases/baritone-will-liverman-wins-the-mets--2022-beverly-sills-artist-award/ |access-date=September 25, 2022}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Official website|brendarae.com}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rae, Brenda}} Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:American operatic sopranos Category:People from Appleton, Wisconsin Category:University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Category:Juilliard School alumni Category:Singers from Wisconsin Category:21st-century American women opera singers Category:Classical musicians from Wisconsin Category:Music Academy of the West alumni Category:Giulio Gari International Vocal Competition winners Category:Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation competition winners Category:Richard F. Gold Career Grant recipients