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The American soprano, Elizabeth Farnum, studied at Lunenburg High School in Lunenburg, Massachusetts. She obtained her Bachelor of Music/Theater from Hartt School of Music in West Hartford, Connecticut (1981-1985).
Elizabeth Farnum works as a freelance singer since 1985. She began her career as a “belter”, appearing in numerous regional and Off-Broadway productions in such roles as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl, Sally Bowles in Cabaret and Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun. As a member of Riverdance, she toured and appeared in the Broadway production. She also performed on the jazz and cabaret circuits, and toured on the cruise ship SS Rotterdam. Her operatic roles include, among others, Donna Anna in W.A. Mozart's Don Giovanni, Pamina in W.A. Mozart's Die Zauberflöte and Alva in Shala Fears for the Poor, a role she created with composer Anthony Braxton conducting. Additionally, she appeared in a featured role in the American premiere of Pascal Dusapin’s To Be Sung, presented by L’Opera Francais.
For the past 15 years, Elizabeth Farnum specializes in 20th century music and is an active performer in the musical theater, oratorio, early music, liturgical music and recital fields and has toured throughout the United States, Europe, Japan and Australia with a number of varied ensembles. Praised by the New York Times for her “honeyed tone”, she is one of today’s most highly sought-after vocalists in the field of modern music. Widely known for her high level of musicianship, versatility and range, she has presented modern works in venues such as Lincoln Center, Alice Tully Hall, London’s Institute for Contemporary Art, the American Academy at Rome and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, collaborating with such composers as Samuel Adler, Anthony Braxton, Lukas Foss, Ricky Ian Gordon, John Harbison, Peter Schickele, Charles Wuorinen and John Zorn. She has appeared as a guest soloist with many prominent modern music ensembles throughout the USA and Europe, and appeared in a featured role in the USA première of Pascal Dusapin’s To Be Sung, presented by L’opéra Français. She has premiered pieces by Luciano Berio, Keuris and Schlenck at Tully Hall in New York. Other premieres include Braxton's opera, Shala Fears for the Poor, in which she created the role of Alva; Roland Moser's Nach Deutsche Volksliederen, which she premiered with Parnassus; Wuorinen's Fenton Songs and James Bassi's Carol Symphony.
Elizabeth Farnum maintains an interest in many diverse musical styles, and her various interests have led her to performances on Broadway, at the Metropolitan Opera. In the oratorio and concert fields, she has presented the standard works of J.S. Bach, George Frideric Handel, Haydn and others, and has appeared as soloist with, among others, the Brooklyn Philharmonic (with whom she premiered Lukas Foss’ The Prairie), American Symphony Orchestra, Riverside Symphony, La Jolla Symphony and Musica Sacra. She has performed the Requiems of Gabriel Fauré, W.A. Mozart and Johannes Brahms, L.v. Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, John Rutter's Magnificat and G.F. Handel's Judas Maccabeus, to mention a few. She is a member of the Rialto Ensemble and the acclaimed early music group Pomerium (with which she performed throughout the world on tour), and has appeared as soloist with the Waverly Consort, Musica Sacra, BachWorks and the New York Virtuoso Singers.
A prolific studio artist, Elizabeth Farnum has been featured on over 30 recordings, four of which were nominated for Grammy awards. She is featured on recordings of Koch, Helicon, Bis, Vox, New World, Leonarda, Altarus, and North/ South records. She has recorded four CD's for Deutsche Grammophon with Pomerium, the third of which was nominated for a Grammy in 1999.
Elizabeth Farnum has been a private and public educator and voice teacher at home and abroad for several decades. She has served as a guest coach and teacher in many New York schools, including residencies sponsored by the National Choral Council. She has been invited to lecture and give master classes at several Universities, including UC San Diego, Fordham University and the University of Pittsburg (Kansas), where she did a residency as part of their inaugural modern music festival. She maintains a private studio and teaches vocal technique and theory to male and female students from ages 11 to 85.
Elizabeth Farnum is the conductor of the Uptown Sound, an a capella jazz group composed of semi-professional and avocational singers, and has worked with various choral groups as conductor and coach. As a guest artist with the six-member a capella ensemble Western Wind, she served as a coach and teacher at the Shir Madness Festival in Sydney, Australia, where she prepared the women’s chorus for their final performance at Bondi Pavilion. With the Western Wind, she has given workshops in choral performance in Blackheath, Australia, and in various locations in the Northeast.
Elizabeth Farnum has a keen interest in nature, animals, and the environment, and is a NY State-licensed wildlife rehabilitator. She lives on City Island, New York with her husband Kenneth Farnum, a keyboardist and piano technician. |
