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The American soprano, Carole Bogard, began singing in the San Francisco Bay area back when the music of J.S. Bach and George Frideric Handel was performed with large orchestras, lush, romantic playing and singers oriented to opera. Harpsichords were unavailable and unthinkable!
The music department of the University of California at Berkeley was a pioneer of authenticity in early music concerts, and Carole Bogard’s voice, style and instincts seemed ready-made for them. Thus began a long and felicitous relationship bringing brilliant performances to the community and wide acclaim to the singer. Her dazzling success in the USA premiere of G.F. Handel’s Semele led directly to her debut with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.
Carole Bogard's career gained momentum along with the Baroque revival. She sang regularly in the Amsterdam Opera’s distinguished productions, and with many other fine groups such as those of the Carmel Bach Festival (1965-1969), Aston Magna and the Smithsonian, as well as any number of enlightened choral societies.
It appears that good singing of Baroque music is not a limited speciality, as Carole Bogard was equally in demand for anything from Mozart and Strauss to Lukas Foss and Hans Werner Henze. Her recordings tell a lot, but can only hint at her beguiling stage personality, which charmed audiences in opera in Los Angeles or Boston or Brussels and chamber music or recitals all over the USA.
Asked for an account of one great moment in her career, Carole Bogard acknowledges the thrill of standing ovations, but says the moment she treasures most was after a concert performance of G.F. Handel’s Orlando in Carnegie Hall, in which she sang a major role. A backstage visitor sought her out, and complimented her specifically - it was Marian Anderson. |
