Ruth Ann Swenson
Lecturer
Office (Primary):(512) 471-0746
MRH 4.114
UT Address:The Butler School of Music
Austin, Texas 78712-1555
Email:ruthannswenson@utexas.eduRuth Ann Swenson is recognized as one of the leading operatic artists of our day and has won critical and public accolades in major theaters around the world. She is praised as a singer with an instrument of uncommon warmth and beauty matched by dazzling technical abilities.
Ms.Swenson was born in New York and began her studies at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. She was invited to join the San Francisco Opera's Merola program and was named an Adler Fellow during which time she made her operatic debut as Despina in
Cosi fan Tutte. She has returned to sing almost every season in a wide and varied repertoire including Gilda in
Rigoletto, Pamina in
The Magic Flute, Ines in
L'Africaine(with Placido Domingo available on DVD), Dorinda in
Orlando, Juliette in
Romeo et Juliette, Ophelie in
Hamlet, Cleopatra in
Giulio Cesare,the title roles in
Lucia,Manon,The Ballad of Baby Doe,La Traviata,and
Semele. Most recently she has appeared as the Countess in
Le Nozze di Figaro and Ginevra in
Ariodante. In 2008 she was awarded the San Francisco Opera Medal in celebration of her 25years with the company.
Although nurtured in San Francisco, Ms.Swenson enjoyed recognition elsewhere almost immediately. She debuted in Europe at the Grand Theatre de Geneve again as Despina and returned as Norina in
Don Pasquale and Elvira in
I Puritani. She was then invited to appear in all of the important European theaters: Gilda at the Berlin State Theater and Teatro San Carlos in Naples, Eurydice in
Orphee in Paris opposite Marilyn Horne,Konstanza in
Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail at the Bavarian State Theater and Vienna State Opera where she also performed Gilda and Rosina.Her debut at The Royal Opera House Covent Garden was a sensation as
Semele and she returned to sing
La Traviata. In addition, she has been a frequent guest at the Opera National de Paris in roles including Gilda,Susanna,Manon,Antonia in
Les Contes d'Hoffmann and Giulietta in
I Capuletti ed I Montecchi. She has received acclaim in theaters throughout Europe including Hamburg, Cologne, Barcelona, Orange, Lisbon, Bilbao, Pesaro and Athens.
She began her long association with the Metropolitan Opera in New York with her debut in 1991 as Zerlina with James Levine conducting and has gone on to sing over 200 performances in a variety of roles including Gilda, Susanna, Rosina in
Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Elvira in
I Puritani, Zerbinetta in
Ariadne auf Naxos, all four heroines in
Les Contes d'Hoffmann,Lucia, Adina in
L'Elisir d'Amore(opposite Luciano Pavarotti), Liu in
Turandot, Micaela in
Carmen, Mimi and Musetta in
La Boheme,Manon,Marguerite in
Faust, Violetta in
La Traviata and Cleopatra in
Giulio Cesare. Nanetta in
Falstaff was her debut at Lyric Opera of Chicago where she also sang Anne Trulove in
The Rakes Progress, Norina, Adina, Violetta and the Countess in
Le Nozze di Figaro. For the Dallas Opera she has sung Lucia, Susanna, Norina,
Rodelinda, Luisa Miller, Amelia in
Simon Boccanegra and
The Merry Widow.
In concert, she has appeared with orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, and Cleveland Orchestra among others with conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Christoph von Dohnanyi and Michael Tilson Thomas.She has performed Amina in
La Sonammbula, Maria Stuarda and Elena in
La Donna del Lago with the Opera Orchestra of New York at Carnegie Hall. La Donna del Lago was also performed in concert with the Vienna Philharmonic at the Salzburg Festival as well as
Maria Stuarda with Opera Lyon Orchestra in Paris.
Ms.Swenson has recorded Marsinah in
Kismet(Sony Classics), Juliette in
Romeo et Juliette opposite Placido Domingo(BMG)and Musetta in
La Boheme(EMI).Solo CD's include
Con Amore,Italian Opera Arias with Julius Rudel(Angel)-
Endless Pleasure,Handel and Mozart Arias with Sir Charles MacKerras(Angel)-
Positively Golden, Coloratura Arias with Nicola Rescigno(Angel) and
i carry your heart, an album of art songs with pianist Warren Jones(Angel). She appears with Thomas Hampson and Placido Domingo on EMI's recording entitled
Opera Gala. Her performances of Constanza in
Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail, Antonia in
The Tales of Hoffmann and Ines in
L'Africaine are available on DVD.