Soprano Rochelle Bard has been described as an ‘exquisite’ and ‘poignant’ singing actress. Prestigious U.S. and International vocal competitions have recognized Ms. Bard, who was recently awarded 2nd Place in the 2009 Gerda Lissner Foundation Competition and First Place and Audience Choice in the Classical Singer Competition. She was also winner in the George London Foundation Competition, the Metropolitan Opera National Council Awards (San Francisco), and the Licia Albanese-Puccini Competition. Subsequently, she had her Lincoln Center debut in Alice Tully Hall at the annual Puccini Gala, and in Carnegie Hall for the Gerda Lissner Winners Concert .

Ms. Bard’s current season includes Micaëla in Carmen with Ash Lawn Opera, the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor with Opera Idaho, Gilda   in Rigoletto with Rockland Opera, Musetta in La Boheme with Sacramento Opera, the title role in The Merry Widow with St. Petersburg Opera Company, and the Foreign Princess in Rusalka with Boston Lyric Opera, for which Opera News deemed her a

   ‘deliciously evil enchantress, conveying the haughty cruelty

    of the Foreign Princess with a bright, crystalline soprano.'

In 2010, she will debut as Magda in La Rondine with Opera Tampa.

She completed her Artist Residency with Opera San José last season with much acclaimed performances of Lucia di Lammermoor, Gilda in Rigoletto, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Violetta in La Traviata, and Juliette in Roméo et Juliette   For her performance of Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, the San Francisco Classical Voice praised her 'impeccable pianissimos'.  

Opera critics are hailing ‘Rochelle Bard is a sensational Lucia!'   See Reviews. The San Francisco Chronicle raved:

      'Her account of the famous final mad scene was a knockout-           fluid, precisely etched and marked by a

haunting sense of vulnerability.’

The Idaho Statesman wrote of her most recent performance of Lucia:

‘Bard surprised the audience throughout the performance with her rich, flexible and fluid voice, and the depth of emotion and character she brought to Lucia. Her mad scene was a marvel. The duet with the flute was flawless and beautifully mesmerizing’

In the 06/07 season, her performances as Violetta in La Traviata proved  to be an exciting debut. Critics described her performances as:

 'stunningly poignant', with 'beauty and exquisite femininity'

and a ' powerful and creamy coloratura soprano voice

that seared the audience's consciousness'.

In 2005, as a Studio Artist with Baltimore Opera Company, Ms. Bard sang the roles of Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro and Giannetta in     L’Elisir d’Amore, and covered Giulietta in Les Contes d’Hoffmann.

She has also appeared on the stages of Tanglewood, New England Light Opera, Cape Cod Opera, Opera Boston, Maine Grand Opera, Longwood Opera, and Opera Lirica di Orvieto, Italy.  Other operatic  roles include the title role in The Merry Widow, Cunegonde in Candide, and Antonia in  Les Contes d'Hoffmann, among others.

Read more of Ms. Bard's Biography here.>>

LATE BREAKING NEWS:

*April 2010*

Ms. Bard will debut as Madga in Puccini's La Rondine with Opera Tampa.

*March 2009*

Ms. Bard is named 2nd Place Winner in the Gerda Lissner Foundation Competition and will debut in her hometown of Boston, singing the Foreign Princess in Rusalka with Boston Lyric Opera.

*May 2009*

As Musetta in La Boheme, Ms. Bard will debut with Sacramento Opera, and will be the featured soloist with the Cambridge Symphony in MA and the Santa Cruz Chamber Orchestra in CA.

*

*May 2007*

*Ms. Bard wins FIRST PLACE and Audience Choice in the Classical Singer Competition sponsored by Classical Singer Magazine.