JULIA FOSTER, soprano, is active in the stage, concert, and teaching arenas. Along with her interpretation of standard repertoire, Ms. Foster is an avid performer and champion of contemporary and early music. She currently resides in Winter Park, FL, and holds voice performance degrees from the University of Wisconsin – Madison (BM), the Eastman School of Music (MM), and the Moores School of Music, University of Houston (DMA).

On the operatic stage, Ms. Foster was most recently seen as Elisetta in Cimarosa’s Il Matrimonio Segreto with The Third Ward Opera Company in Houston, Beth in Adamo’s Little Women with The Stoughton Opera Company (Wisconsin) and Vitige in Handel’s Flavio with Ars Lyrica Houston. As a member of the Moores Opera Center at the University of Houston, Ms. Foster has appeared as Rose Maurrant in Kurt Weill’s Street Scene, the title role in Poulenc’s Les Mamelles de Tiresias, Nina in Massenet’s Chérubin, and Candace in Bolcom's A Wedding. She made her professional debut with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra covering the role of Gretel and singing the role of Angel/Gingerbread Child in their production of Hansel and Gretel, and her international debut (Salzburg, Austria) as Pamina in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. Other favorites include Blanche in Dialogues of the Carmelites, Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, Rose Maybud in Ruddigore and Adele in Die Fledermaus.

Besides her operatic interests, Ms. Foster is an advocate for the performance of Art Song and is a frequent recitalist. Alongside standard French, German, and American repertoire, her recitals have incorporated less traditional works, such as George Crumb’s Apparition for soprano and prepared piano. Additionally, she has sung in a variety of less frequented languages, including Norwegian, Russian, Finnish and Czech. Ms. Foster has participated in Art Song festivals, including Eastman School of Music’s Women in Music Festival, and has premiered works for composer, Scott Gendel. She has had the honor of singing for such dignitaries as the President of the Czech Republic.

In the Early Music field, Ms. Foster has sung early opera with Ars Lyrica, Eastman’s Collegium Musicum and The Moores Opera Center, including works by Charpentier, Handel, Purcell, Mattheson and Rossi. Her early repertoire ranges from English lute songs to Bach’s celebrated cantata, Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen. Ms. Foster has studied under reknowned lutenist, Paul O’Dette, soprano, Ellen Hargis, and harpsichordist, Matthew Dirst. She has served on the faculty of the Madison Early Music Festival, and has participated in both chamber and large works at the festival, including Tallis’ 40 voice motet, Spem in Alium and Byrd’s Crown with Flow’rs and Lilies for soprano and viol consort.

Ms. Foster currently serves as Assistant Professor of Voice at Rollins College, where she coordinates a voice area of over 75 students and teaches music in both the classroom and studio. She co-founded the Bach Festival Summer Music Academy for High School students in 2010 with Dr. John V. Sinclair, and is the Program Director for the Academy. Ms. Foster frequently performs with the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park and is honored to have taken part in the Society's 75th Anniversary celebration during the 2009-2010 season. Previous appointments include Adjunct Professor of Voice at Kingwood College and Teaching Fellow in Voice at The University of Houston. Ms. Foster’s pedagogical skills have been requested at such institutions as The Eastman School of Music and The University of Wisconsin Summer Music Clinic.

*Program Biography available upon request.