American mezzo-soprano Hannah Kurth-Holmes, obtained her Bachelor in Music degree in Voice and Opera from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2009-2013). Favorite roles at UNL included The Old Lady in Leonard Bernstein's Candide, the Third Lady in W.A. Mozart's Der Zauberflöte, and Cherubino in W.A. Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro. She received her Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance & Literature from the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester (2013-2015), where she studied with renowned mezzo-soprano Katherine Ciesinski. At Eastman, she performed the role of Florence Pike in Benjamin Britten's Albert Herring and covered the role of Mother Marie in Francis Poulenc's Dialogues of the Carmelites. She was featured as a soloist with the Eastman Repertory Singers, Women's Ensemble, Voices professional chorus, Baroque Ensemble Collegium Musicum, and Eastman School of Music: Bach Cantata Series (BWV 4, February 2014; BWV 182, March 2014).
Hannah Kurth-Holmes is a versatile crossover artist and comedienne. Through her appearances with the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players (since 2016), the Ohio Light Opera, and the Victor Herbert Renaissance project (since October 2017), she has developed a specialty in operetta and early to Golden Age musical theater. In the 2019-2020 season, she is slated to perform with the Victor Herbert Renaissance Project in The Debutante, with NYGASP in Iolanthe and The Gondoliers, to tour nationally with The Pirates of Penzance (2020) and The Mikado, and continues for a 8th season in the professional choir at St. James Episcopal Church, Manhattan (since 2015).
A frequent performer with the Ohio Light Opera (OLO) (May 2013-August 2016; Resident Artist:May 2018-2019), Hannah Kurth-Holmes has sung and danced in 34 shows over six summers with the company. Role highlights there include The Witch in Into the Woods (2019), Molly Gray in Gershwin’s Girl Crazy (2019), May DeVere in Porter’s Fifty Million Frenchmen, Lois Lane/Bianca in Porter's Kiss Me, Kate, and Ruth in Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance. She was also featured as a dancer in a number of the productions, including Die Fledermaus, The King & I (Little Eva), Babes in Arms (Maizie LaMar/dream ballet performer). She can also be heard on the Albany Records recording of OLO’s production of Dream City and the Magic Knight, as Gladys Peck.
Other recent appearances include solo performances with the Friends of Mozart Eastman Alumni concert, the Southeast Iowa Symphony Pops! concert, and the InterArts Festival for student composition at Juilliard. An avid tap dancer, Hannah Kurth-Holmes regularly performs outreach programs in the greater New York area with the Foot and Fiddle Dance Company.
Hannah Kurth-Holmes currently resides in New York City with her husband, bass-baritone Paul Holmes. She continues her studies with Claudia Catania. |