Dara Kristin Hobbs (born 1972)[1] is an American operatic soprano, who has appeared internationally, mostly in European opera houses. Her repertoire has focused on dramatic soprano roles, such as Wagner's Isolde and Strauss' Ariadne. She appeared as Wagner's Brünnhilde in Der Ring in Minden.
Dara Hobbs | |
|---|---|
| Born | Dara Kristin Hobbs 1972 |
| Education | Northwestern University |
| Occupation | Dramatic soprano |
| Organizations | Theater Krefeld und Mönchengladbach |
| Website | www |
Career
editBorn in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, Hobbs studied at Northwestern University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in European history in 1994 and Master of Music in 1997.[2] On May 4, 1996 she married Michael William Redmond.[1] She studied on a scholarship from the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz in summer 2005, and at the Vocal Arts Symposium in Spoleto, Italy, in summer 2006.[2][3]
She was a member of the Theater Krefeld und Mönchengladbach from 2007 to 2012, where she performed title roles such as Verdi's Aida, Puccini's Tosca and Suor Angelica, and Ariadne auf Naxos by Richard Strauss. Other major parts included the Countess in Mozart's Il nozze, Lisa in Tchaikovsky's Pique Dame, and Elisabeth in Verdi's Don Carlos.[2] From 2012, she has worked as a freelance singer.[4]
Hobbs has appeared at the Bayreuth Festival from 2013 as Ortlinde in Die Walküre.[2] She performed at opera houses in Europe and the US, often in roles by Richard Strauss and Richard Wagner. She performed Ariadne at the Leipzig Opera, the Staatsoper Hannover and the Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian in Lisbon.[2] She appeared as Senta in Der fliegende Holländer at the Sarasota Opera in Florida, as Sieglinde in Die Walküre at the Frankfurt Opera, and as Isolde in Tristan und Isolde at Theater Bonn, Theater Chemnitz, Theater Regensburg, Stadttheater Minden, Theater Gera and at Schloss Neuschwanstein.[2]
The performance in Minden, staged by Matthias von Stegmann and played by the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie conducted by Frank Beermann, with Andreas Schager as Tristan, received international recognition.[5] A reviewer from Vienna called her performance sensational and described in detail her voice as well-trained, clear, full, and at the same time mellow and with metal luster in high range ("bestens durchgebildete, klare, große Stimme, zugleich weich, warm, voll und mit Metallklang in den Höhen, wo gefordert"), a voice to express the dramatic situations.[6] She appeared as Brünnhilde in Der Ring in Minden from 2016 to 2019. On 10 July 2021, she appeared in the title role of Beethoven's Fidelio in a concert performance at the Alfred Fischer Hall in Hamm as part of the KlassikSommer Hamm festival. Beermann conducted the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, choir and soloists.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b Dara Kristin Hobbs in the Wisconsin, U.S., Marriage Index, 1973-1997
- ^ a b c d e f "Dara Hobbs" (in German). Bayreuth Festival. Retrieved 10 June 2017.[dead link]
- ^ Northwestern University (19 June 1998). One Hundred and Fortieth Annual Commencement, p. 28
- ^ Absalon, Agnes (1 August 2012). "Sopranistin Dara Hobbs – die Wagner-Spezialistin". Westdeutsche Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 10 May 2017.
- ^ Fryer, Paul, ed. (2014). Opera in the Media Age: Essays on Art, Technology and Popular Culture. McFarland. pp. 49–53. ISBN 978-1-4766-1620-9. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
- ^ Pfabigan, Sieglinde (16 September 2012). "Minden: Tristan und Isolde". Der Neue Merker (in German). Retrieved 7 May 2017.
- ^ Fidelio – Alles Freyheit? Hamm 2021
External links
edit- Official website
- Dara Hobbs Operabase
- Dara Hobbs discography at Discogs
- Artists Corner: Soprano Dara Hobbs sarasotaopera.blogspot.de 2014