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CATHERINE MARTIN
MEZZO-SOPRANO
BIOGRAPHY
Praised by The Washington Post for her “gorgeous, warm voice that you want to keep listening to,” American mezzo-soprano Catherine Martin continues to make an impact in repertoire ranging from Verdi and Wagner to Strauss and Bellini. Last season, Ms. Martin made her role debut as Fricka in Dayton Opera’s Das Rheingold, bowed as Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana with Opera Colorado, returned to Lyric Opera of Chicago as Eboli (cover) in Don Carlos, Maryland Lyric Opera as Mistress Quickly in Falstaff, and joined Des Moines Metro Opera as Clarice in The Love for Three Oranges. This season, she returns to the Metropolitan Opera to cover Helen Prejean in Dead Man Walking and Preziosilla in La forza del destino and makes her Atlanta Opera début as Waltraute in Die Walküre. [read more...]
CRITICAL ACCLAIM
"... vocal power and richness..." – DC Theater Arts
Falstaff – "Martin displays probably the most subtle and effective physical acting of any member of the cast while impressing with her vocal power and richness."
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"... unleashing a wave of sound..." – Washington Classical Review
Don Carlo – "Mezzo-soprano Catherine Martin, remembered fondly from her time in WNO’s Cafritz Young Artists program, made a fiery Princess Eboli. She was flirtatious in her “Veil Song” and then just as venomous when she learned she was not loved by Carlos, unleashing a wave of sound in the striking Act II scene with Carlo and Rodrigo. Her Act III showpiece, “O don fatale,” featured blistering high notes of rage.”
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"... her buttery, rich mezzo-soprano..." – Opera News
Twighlight: Gods – "Catherine Martin, as Waltraute, detailed Wotan's deterioration in her buttery, rich mezzo-soprano. . . Martin sang with fearless intimacy, masterful vocal integrity and the flawless diction that was this production's hallmark."
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"... a thoroughly convincing and beautifully sung performance..." – Minnesota Star Tribune
Dead Man Walking – “It's hard to imagine a stronger or more dramatically apt cast. . . Catherine Martin's Sister Helen displays a similar kaleidoscope of emotions in a thoroughly convincing and beautifully sung performance.”
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"... Martin was an exceptional talent..." – BachTrack
The Long Christmas Dinner – “Catherine Martin was an exceptional talent whose lush overtones gave rise to a sound that resonated to all parts of the hall. Undoubtedly capable of doing great justice to Wagner, Martin carried her part tastefully in the more intimate setting.”
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"... the terrific Catherine Martin..." – The Washington Post
Ariadne auf Naxos – “the terrific Catherine Martin, a mezzo familiar to Washington audiences who sang with assurance and a firm, golden voice."