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The American soprano and music pedagogue, Mimmi Fulmer, obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Princeton University (1970-1974), and her Master of Art degree in Voice from New England Conservatory of Music (1974-1976).
Mimmi Fulmer performs repertoire ranging from early music to premieres of works written for her. She was praised by the Washington Post for her “really beautiful soprano” and by Gramophone for her “warm and natural interpretations”. Her 2009 CD, “American Vistas”, with flutist Leone Buyse (Albany Records) was called “superb” by American Record Guide, and NATS Journal notes “ her technique enables her to sing even the most intricate of these songs with assured ease."
Noted for her performances of new music, Mimmi Fulmer has premiered dozens of works written for her, including nine roles in eight operas. Her solo CD,”About Time”, was called “a gratifying testimony to … composers in America” by Opera News online and “a spectacular show” by American Record Guide. In 2005, she premiered a one-woman multi-media opera written for her at the University of Michigan. She is featured on CD’s of music by David Dies (Albany Records, 2011), and New York composer Joseph Dubiel (Centaur Records, 2005). She can also be heard on the CRI label in music of Edward Cone and the Innova label in works of Hans Sturm. She was guest artist at a three-day international conference at Princeton University on Edward Cone’s "Musical Form and Musical Performance.”
Mimmi Fulmer has been a featured soloist at festivals around the nation, including Aspen and Bang on a Can, and in concerts at the Kennedy Center, CAMI Hall, and the Walker Art Center, as well as at the Bath Fringe Festival and in Kyoto, Japan. Her opera roles include Cherubino, Galatea, Poppea, The Woman in Erwartung, and Schubert’s Helena. Her recital and oratorio work have taken her to San Diego, Richmond, New Jersey, Chicago, Costa Rica, Miami, Pittsburgh, South Hadley, and Muncie.
Mimmi Fulmer is the recipient of grants from the American-Scandinavian Foundation and the Finlandia Foundation to pursue work in Nordic art songs, and travelled to Helsinki and Stockholm in 2009 and 2011 for research. She presented lecture-recitals on Nordic songs at the National College Music Society Conference in Portland, at the Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle, and on the UW-Madison Live from the Chazen series, broadcast on WERN radio.
Early music has been a significant part of her career, and she performs regularly with fortepianist Trevor Stephenson, the Madison Bach Musicians, and the Wisconsin Baroque Ensemble. “Fulmer … deftly created the illusion of speaking to you alone … The warmth and purity of her lyric soprano sounds…enhanced the illusion of intimacy.” (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel).
Since August 1984, Mimi Fulmer is Professor of Voice, and since September 2001 she is Associate Director of Opera at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where her work has been distinguished with both the Vilas Associate and Chancellor’s Awards. Her students are enjoying success around the world with companies including New York City Opera, the Metropolitan Opera, Frankfurt Opera, Mainz Oper, Los Angeles Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Washington National Opera, El Paso Opera, Opera Tampa, and Opera Australia. Alum Nathaniel Stampley sang the title role in The Lion King on Broadway and is currently in The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess. Her students have held fellowships at Tanglewood and Merola, sung on cruise ships, and are pursuing careers as educators at the school and university levels. Fulmer has presented numerous master-classes, including at Ball State University, University of California-Riverside, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, and with the Currents Ensemble to rural Virginia schools.
Mimmi Fulmer recently presented a recital and master class at the University of Tampa and lecture-recitals of Nordic songs at Pacific Lutheran University and UW-Parkside. Upcoming engagements include a lecture-recital and maser class at North Dakota State University and being guest soloist with the Sheboygan Symphony. She is editing an anthology of Nordic songs to be published by Subito Music. Her CD of Nordic songs, “Hearing Homeward”, will be released on Centaur Records in summer 2012. Fulmer was named to the Fulbright Specialist Roster beginning in 2012. This program matches specialists with academic institutions around the world, and she is honored to have her expertise in American music recognized by the Fulbright program. |
