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The American soprano, Cassandra Hoffman, spent her childhood in the Midwest of the USA, before moving to New York to complete her vocal studies. She got her Master of Music from the Mannes College of Music in New York City.
In New York, Cassandra Hoffman worked with various Ensembles, including the Mannes Camerata, ARTEK (Director: Gwendolyn Toth), and Ex Umbris. On stage she sang the title role in John Eccles’ Semele as well as Nero in the Georg Frideric Handel opera Agrippina. Since 1997, she has lived in Berlin. In Europe, she has sung with many early music groups, including Fiori Musicali, the Batzdorfer Hofkapelle, Teatro Lirico, and the Capella de Ministrers. Staged productions have included Sophia Western in François-André Philidor’s Tom Jones and Dorinda in G.F. Handel’s Orlando at the Neuköllner Oper. With the Brandenburger Ensemble I Confidenti she sang the part of Sandra in the G.F. Handel pasticcio I capriole d’amore in various theaters, inclucing the Händel Festival in Halle.
Cassandra Hoffman’s current season (2009) has been one of great variety. Spanning the centuries in musical style, she has sung Baroque opera, Romantic Lieder, and contemporary music. In January, she sang Dorinda in G.F. Handel’s Orlando at the Theater in Ettelbrück, Luxembourg. March and October saw performances of The Fool on the Hill, a music and literature evening, where Ms. Hoffman sang music ranging from John Dowland to Schubert to Hugo Wolf to Kurt Weill to the Beatles. In June, she travelled to Ireland to perform with eX, Ireland’s innovative early music ensemble, in a staged production of Alexander Pope’s The Rape of the Lock, singing G.F. Handel chamber duets under the musical supervision of Christopher Hogwood. In October she performed the challenging and musically breathtaking Kafka-Fragmente by György Kurtág with colleague Kathrein Allenberg. With her Baroque Ensemble Kalliope she performs regularly, including concerts this year of Marian music, music by women composers, and an Advent program. In addition, she has been the soloist for several Oratorios this season, including The Messiah and J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248).
Recordings include Belinda in Dido and Aeneas with I Musici di San Cassiano, a witch voice in Philip Glass' The Witches of Venice, John Zorn’s Cobra Live at the Knitting Factory, and Linda Amiga, sephardic songs with the Gerard Edery Ensemble. |
