Julieanne Klein

Soprano Julieanne Klein is a versatile singer who has performed and recorded in numerous vocal styles, including avant-garde and experimental, opera, loungy downtempo and eclectic, funky pop.  Praised for her expressivity, warmth of sound and “astonishing vocal colors”, she is renowned for her ability to bring dramatic interpretations and exquisite beauty of sound to complex contemporary music.  A devoted champion of 20th and 21st-century music, Julieanne is a founding member and resident soprano of Montreal’s Ensemble Prima, conducted by Melanie Leonard.  She has performed and premiered works throughout North America and Europe, including Montreal, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore, London, Manchester and Hvar, Croatia.  Recent solo engagements include appearances in the Mobtown Modern New Music Series at the Contemporary Museum of Baltimore, a concert of Trevor Weston works with the Washington Chorus, a recital of Schoenberg and Poulenc songs with pianist Martin Neron, a semi-staged performance of Schoenberg’s Erwartung in Montreal (Ensemble Prima), Poulenc’s monologue opera La voix humaine (Los Angeles), Claude Viver’s Bouchara (Ensemble Avenir, Montreal), George Crumb’s Night of the Four Moons and Ancient Voices of Children (Ensemble Prima), the Canadian premiere of Unsuk Chin’s Akrostichon-Wortspiel (McGill Contemporary Ensemble), the world premiere of John B. Hedges’ new opera The Girl (Curtis Institute of Music Alumni Ensemble), and Schoenberg’s Pierrot lunaire (Ensemble Prima).  In 2007 she toured the United Kingdom performing Pierrot lunaire and Ravel’s Chansons madecasses with the renowned Ulysses Ensemble, sponsored by Britten-Pears/Aldeburgh Music.  During this tour Ms. Klein and the ensemble were featured live on the BBC Radio’s “In Tune” with Sean Rafferty.  Upcoming performances include world premiers by Jeffrey Holmes, Michael Rose, Alex Temple, Chris Jentsch, and a new work for live electronics by David Adamcyk commissioned by the SMCQ Orchestra (Societe de musique contemporaine du Quebec).  In April 2009 Julieanne will tour Southern California, presenting a series of concerts and lectures in contemporary voice and electronic music and in October 2009 will perform Giacinto Scelsi’s Khoom.

Julieanne has an intense passion for electronic music, and completed her doctoral thesis in the area of voice and live/interactive electronic music at McGill University.  Recent electronic performances included the world premiere of David Adamcyk’s Avant la larme, the Canadian premiere of Mauro Lanza’s Erba near che cresci segno nero tu vivi and excerpts of Philippe Manoury’s En echo.  Her performances of Adamcyk’s and Manoury’s pieces were featured at the 2006 DAFx (Digital Audio Effects) conference in Montreal.  Other premieres of electronic works include Neil Middleton’s Life Had Parted for soprano, percussion and live electronics, and Nik Kambeitz and Emily Hall’s Agaue for soprano, percussion, and multi-track tape.  Julieanne’s work with electronic and interactive music was featured in a segment on the radio program “Cinq a Six”, hosted by Patti Schmidt and broadcast on Canada’s CBC Radio-One.

Julieanne’s enthusiasm for contemporary art translates into a commitment to creating and promoting new works.  In 2004 she made her debut with the SMCQ Orchestra as a last-minute replacement for an ailing soprano, performing the Canadian premiere of Petra Vermote’s Tsizj on five days notice with stunning success.  She went on to premiere Yannick Plamondon’s L’Ange Casseur with SMCQ on the 2006 MusiMars Contemporary Music Festival.  As a fellow of the prestigious Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme for Contemporary Performance, she premiered works by Ryan Wigglesworth and other residence composers.  She has also debuted works by Julian Wachner, David Adamcyk, John B. Hedges, Luna Pearl Woolf, Michael Rose, Stephane Ostrander, Nick Strimple, Neil Middleton, Nik Kambeitz and Emily Hall.  In addition to her longstanding residency with Ensemble Prima, she has sung with numerous ensembles, including the SMCQ Orchestra (Societe de musique contemporaine du Quebec), eighth blackbird, Ensemble Contemporaine, Music of Changes, McGill Contemporary Ensemble, Ensemble Avenir, Ulysses Ensemble, Los Angeles Jewish Symphony, Thornton Chamber Orchestra, Princeton ProMusica and the Trenton Symphony Orchestra.

Julieanne has been the featured soloist on several recordings, including Luna Pearl Woolf’s Orpheus on Sappho’s Shore (Oxingale Records) and ‘In Good Company’, a CD celebrating the music of Michael Isaacson and Robert Strassburg.  Most recently, she recorded an album of funky, eclectic pop tunes with EPX (Elusive Project X) entitled 11 Days, which is released on M2 - Monopoli Records.

Noted for being an exceptionally versatile singer, Ms. Klein is also recognized as an accomplished recitalist and performer of traditional repertoire.  Her operatic roles include the premiere of Julian Wachner’s opera Evangeline Revisted, Frau Fluth in Nicolai’s Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor, the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro, Elle in Francis Poulenc’s La voix humaine, Madame Lidoine in Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmelites, and Miss Jessel in Benjamin Britten’s Turn of the Screw.  Additionally, she has performed concert versions of Schoenberg’s Erwartung, John B. Hedges’ The Girl, and excerpts from Berg’s Wozzeck with Ensemble Prima.