soprano
Known for her versatility and eclectic tastes, soprano Beth Thompson's repertoire includes everything from oratorio and opera to Broadway and contemporary folk music. Last fall she presented a recital of American songs with pianist Cynthia Huard, and then sang Mozart arias with the College Orchestra six days later. She received critical acclaim for her starring roles in the Opera Company of Middlebury's productions of Puccini's Tosca (June 2005) and Lennox Berkeley's A Dinner Engagement (June 2006). She returned to Austria during the summer of 2006 for her sixth season on the Artist Faculty of the Pitten International Music Festival where she sang Berlioz's Les Nuits d'Eté with pianist Ralph Neiweem, and was soprano soloist in Schubert's Mass in G. In addition, she delighted the Austrian audience with renditions of Gershwin songs and spirituals in a concert of American music. Ms. Thompson has been a featured soloist with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, the Montpelier Chamber Orchestra, the Burlington Choral Society, the Champlain Valley Oratorio Society, and has performed at the Warebrook Festival of Contemporary Music and the Music at Lake Willoughby Concert Series singing a wide repertoire including Dvorak's Te Deum, Haydn's The Creation, the Fauré Requiem, Ein Deutsches Requiem by Brahms, the Vaughan-Williams Serenade To Music, and Mendelssohn's Hear My Prayer. She is an avid recitalist, often performing at colleges and universities throughout the northeastern United States.
Ms. Kaiser also co-produces the Music Department's annual cabaret with her colleague Carol Christensen. In addition, she has produced a single song CD of "The Journey," written by Nick Kaiser, as a fund-raiser for breast cancer research and programs in Vermont. Ms. Thompson holds degrees in singing from Oberlin Conservatory and Indiana University School of Music, where she studied with Metropolitan Opera soprano Eileen Farrell. She taught singing at the University of Vermont from 1987 to 1993 and has served on the voice faculty of Middlebury College since 1992. She also maintains private voice studios in Middlebury, Rutland, and at her home in Danby.
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