Catherine Cook (United States)

Mezzo-soprano — Berta

HGO Appearance: Marthe in Faust (HGO debut, 2007), Tisbe in La Cenerentola (2007)

About the Artist: A regular at San Francisco Opera, Cook has performed in La Cenerentola, Faust, Boris Godunov, The Rake’s Progress, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Der Rosenkavalier, Le nozze di Figaro, La traviata, and Pique Dame, among others. Her roles at the War Memorial Opera House include those in Otello, Così fan tutte, Madama Butterfly, The Cunning Little Vixen, Peter Grimes, and in the world premiere production of Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking, among others. Following her Metropolitan Opera debut in Kát’a Kabanová, she returned for a role in Faust, which she also sang with the Los Angeles and Baltimore operas. She is a frequent performer with the Lyric Opera of Chicago and has performed with the Santa Fe, Marin, Portland, Tulsa, and Florentine operas. Additional appearances include those at Hawaii Opera Theatre, L’Opéra Français de New York, Hong Kong Festival, and Opera Colorado. In concert, Cook has appeared with the San Francisco, Pasadena, and Toledo symphonies, as well as with Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra and Cincinnati Philharmonia. A former member of San Francisco Opera’s Adler Fellowship and Merola Opera Program, she sang the title role in Ariodante and presented a Schwabacher Debut Recital. She is a winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and the Merola Chicago Regional Auditions Yoder Award. Cook holds a Master of Music from Wichita State University and an Artist Diploma from the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music, where she won the Normal Treigle Award. She is Professor of Voice at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and conducts frequent audition workshops in the Bay Area.