Catherine Stoltz '76

“Perfect blend of vocal color and musical artistry” - Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania

Catherine Stoltz, whose voice was described by Los Angeles Times Music Critic Bruce Burrows as "full ringing and free at the top and viola mellow at the bottom" has extensive experience in opera, concert performances and recital. She made her European debut at the Vienna State Opera in Bernstein's A Quiet Place, followed by a highly successful performance as Smeton in Anna Bolena at the Teatro Lirico in Madrid. Ms. Stoltz sang the role of Dinah in Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti for Concertati di Chicago, a role she was taught by Bernstein while in Vienna. She has also studied the 'bel canto' style of singing in Italy with famed tenor and teacher Carlo Bergonzi.

Ms. Stoltz has more than 16 operatic roles in her repertoire, including Hansel in Hansel and Gretel which she has sung with Pittsburgh, Anchorage and Long Beach Operas. She has also performed Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus with the Santa Barbara Civic Light Opera. One of her signature roles is Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia which she has sung with the Pennsylvania Opera Theatre, the Connecticut Opera, the Intermountain Opera in Montana opposite renowned baritone Pablo Elvira and Opera Aperta in Boston. She made her Chicago Lyric Opera debut in the  1985-86 season as Kate Pinkerton in a nationally televised PBS "Great Performances" production of Madama Butterfly. Ms. Stoltz has been soloist with symphony orchestras and choral groups in Canada, Illinois, Wyoming, Alaska, Colorado, Pennsylvania and California. In 2001, Ms. Stoltz was a soloist at the Basilica di San Paolo in Rome, with the very first American chorale to be invited by the Vatican to perform Verdi's Requiem. She has appeared in recital in Las Vegas, NV; Santa Barbara, Palm Springs, Orange and Beverly Hills, CA; Exeter, NH and Philadelphia.

In 1987, Catherine Stoltz was Artist-in-Residence at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. A winner of many prestigious audition awards and scholarships, Ms. Stoltz was a national finalist in the 1987 Metropolitan Opera Auditions in New York City. Since moving to New Hampshire she has devoted her talents primarily to recital, oratorio and teaching in order to spend more time with her family.