Judith Burbank
Artist in Residence
Voice, Vocal Pedagogy

Judith Burbank, born and raised in New Jersey, studied music in the Mid-West where she received her Bachelor of Music degree from Wittenberg University and her Master of Music Degree from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio. While performing in the Miami Valley area and at the College-Conservatory of Music, Judith garnered national and international notice for her performance of three roles in Arnold Schoenberg's MOSES AND ARON that featured the legendary American baritone, George London and renowned tenor, Richard Lewis.

While living in Germany from 1992-2000, Judith performed leading soprano roles with the Theater der Stadt Heidelberg, debuting her first season as Desdemona in Verdi's OTELLO. Other important roles include Marie in WOZZECK, Agathe in DER FREISCHÜTZ, Marguerite in FAUST, Malinka in the Janacek opera DIE AUSFLÜGE DES HERRN BOURCEK, the Kurfürstin in Zeller's DIE VOGELHÄNDLER and Donna Elvira in DON GIOVANNI. Ms. Burbank appeared in the dramatic soprano Wagnerian role of Venus in the Erfurt Theater production of TANNHÄUSER and also sang the dramatic role of the Mother in HÄNSEL UND GRETEL at the Salzburger Landestheater in Austria

Engagements in the United States have included performances with Pittsburgh Opera, Augusta Opera, Intermountain Opera of Bozeman, Montana, New England Opera, New England Operetta, New Jersey State Opera, the touring National Opera Company of the New York City Opera, and the National Opera of North Carolina now known as the A. J. Fletcher Institute. Among the various roles Ms. Burbank has sung in the United States, including Nedda, Frau Fluth, Rosalinde and Lina in the Spanish opera, Las Golandrinas, she favors the Mozartian heroines of Donna Anna, Donna Elvira, Fiordiligi and the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro.

Ms. Burbank has performed a wide range of recital repertoire in the USA, England, Germany and France. Her recitals have highlighted works by Dvorak, Grieg, Rossini, Villa-Lobos and American composers Gerschwin, Kern, Porter and Bernstein. Judith has performed on the Wisconsin Public Radio broadcast concerts "Sunday Concerts Live at the Elvehjem" in Madison, Wisconsin, singing American songs by two Minnesota composers, Randall Davidson and Charles McHugh. She has performed music of George Crumb with the Hugo Wolf Academy in Stuttgart, lieder with the Heidelberger Kammersolisten and was a founding member of the Heidelberg Lyric Trio. Oratorio performances in Germany include the Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem, the Saint Saëns Chant de Noël, the Mozart Mass in C Minor and the role of Peri in the seldom heard oratorio Das Paradies und die Peri by Robert Schumann with the Erfurt Philharmonic Orchestra for the closing concerts of their 5th Annual Festtagen.

While a faculty/artist at the Wausau Conservatory in Wisconsin, Judith was conductor of the mixed children's chorus, the Wausau Choraliers. In April of 2001, the choir participated in the 2001 Festival Chorus at Carnegie Hall, New York City, under the baton of Henry Leck. The Wausau Choraliers sang in performances of The Nutcracker ballet with the Central Wisconsin Ballet and the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra. Other engagements during the 2001-2002 season included performances of the Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, soprano soloist in Handel's Messiah with the Green Bay Symphony and an appearance as featured soloist with the Loudoun Symphony in Leesburg, Virginia with conductor, Mark McCoy.

Ms. Burbank has been an Artist-in-Residence at Lenoir-Rhyne College since the Fall of 2002. She first appeared as soprano soloist in Hickory, North Carolina for the opening concert of the 25th Year Celebration of the Hickory Chorale Society with choral conductor, Weston Noble, in Poulenc's Gloria. In Fall 2003 Judith sang the Elizabethan Songs of Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson on the Friends of Music Concert Series concert with pianist John Cheek with the composer in attendance.

Ms. Burbank continues to perform regionally, with the A Cappella Choir of Lenoir-Rhyne College, and on the Lenoir-Rhyne Music Concert Series. An appearance with regional composer, Bart Bullock, singing Cycle de Sept Mélodies and other works by the composer is slated for the Friends of Music Concert Series October 1, 2005. Judith will appear with the Asheville Lyric Opera singing Donna Anna in Act I of Don Giovanni and Antonia in Act III of The Tales of Hoffmann in the company's Gala Evening presented November 4 & 5, 2005 in the Diana Wortham Theatre, Asheville, North Carolina.

As an active performer in Germany, Ms. Burbank maintained a private voice studio and taught in both the Neckargemünd Musikschule and the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Mannheim. Her students in Germany have won major music competitions, become ensemble members and leads in musical theater companies and productions. American voice students from 2000 to 2002 have gained entrance as voice majors to Mid-West universities and colleges and are actively performing with various theater and Disney productions. Former American students of Ms. Burbank have been winners in the North Carolina regional Haefner/Williams Voice competition and won major prizes in the nationally recognized Palm Beach Opera Competition and the Florida Grand Opera Competition.

Judith is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts at the Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers State University, New Brunswick,New Jersey.