Opera's Katy Perry

Praised by Opera News for her “gleaming tone,” soprano Cree Carrico is an emerging singing actress quickly gaining recognition as an interpreter of 20th and 21st century works. This season, Carrico will perform the role of the Nameless Soprano in Angels in America with New York City Opera, a double bill as Williamson Girl/Soprano in Difficulty of Crossing a Field/Little Match Girl Passion with Portland Opera, Diana in Orpheus in the Underworld with New Orleans Opera, Esther in Morning Star with On Site Opera, and Rosemary Kennedy in JFK with Opera de Montréal. Additionally, she will sing the Soprano solo in Lang’s Simple Song with Chamber Music Northwest.

Recent engagements include the role of Amour in Orphée et Eurydice and Sagredo/Eos in Galileo Galilei with Des Moines Metro Opera, the role of Gilda in Rigoletto with Syracuse Opera, Beatrice in Three Decembers with Opera Memphis, and a performance as a soloist at the “LA in Brooklyn” event with Beth Morrison Projects.

Cree débuted with the Fort Worth Opera as Rosemary Kennedy in the world première of David T. Little and Royce Vavrek’s JFK. Additionally, in past seasons, Carrico performed Lauretta in the prestigious Merola Opera Program’s production of Gianni Schicchi at San Fransisco Opera, the title role of Evangeline in Concert with Longfellow Chorus, and Younger Alyce in Memphis Opera’s production of Glory Denied. Cree can also be heard on the cast recording of David Lang’s chamber opera The Difficulty of Crossing a Field produced by Beth Morrison Projects.

A member of Actor’s Equity, Cree earned her union card as an ensemble member in the New York Philharmonic’s performance of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel, sharing the stage with Nathan Gunn, Kelli O’Hara, and Stephanie Blythe. She was also seen in Carnegie Hall’s one-night-only performance of Guys & Dolls, starring Nathan Lane and Megan Mullally. Previous musical theatre roles include both Fraulein Kost and Fraulein Schneider in Cabaret, Celeste I/Harriett in Sunday in the Park with George, and the ensembles of Ragtime and Jesus Christ Superstar. During her final semester at Oberlin, Cree played Comrade Charlotte in Flora, the Red Menace, working closely with the legendary John Kander on a new version of the musical.

Carrico added the demanding title role in Douglas Moore’s The Ballad of Baby Doe, in her performance with Chautaqua Opera, to her growing repertoire of 20th and 21st centuries leading ladies. She made her New York début as Marie Antoinette in Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles while earning her Master’s degree at Manhattan School of Music. For her performance as the anti-heroine Jenny Smith in Weill’s Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny, The New York Times extolled her “wounded smoothness.”

Since giving the New York première of Jake Heggie’s monodrama At the Statue of Venus, Cree collaborates closely with a number living composers and librettists. She sang Lisa in Little and Vavrek’s Dog Days at the Opera America New Works Forum. During BAM’s Next Wave Festival, Cree appeared on both nights of Beth Morrison’s 21c Liederabend, op. 3, singing Julian Wachner’s Come My Dark Eyed One and the world première of Marie Incontrera and Royce Vavrek’s Albert, Bound or Unbound. Cree has also performed on Royce Vavrek and Lauren Worsham’s 21st century downtown salon, The Coterie.

Unphased by the intimacy of solo performance, Cree created The Ophelia Project, a daring and ever-evolving program of songs, arias and monologues that bends the boundaries of a traditional recital to explore the psychology of Shakespeare’s tragic heroine. The Ophelia Project was chosen to inaugurate Opera America’s Emerging Artist Recital Series at the National Opera Center in October 2013.

In addition to her contemporary repertoire, Cree performed the soprano solos in Messiah with New Mexico Philharmonic, Dvorak’s Stabat Mater with The Brearley Singers at Alice Tully Hall, and Orff’s Carmina Burana with Great Lakes Symphony Orchestra. In past season she made her role début as Gilda in Verdi’s Rigoletto at the Verdi Square Festival.

Cree received a Bachelor’s of Music from the Oberlin Conservatory and a Master’s of Music from Manhattan School of Music. She was a finalist in the Ades Competition, the Lotte Lenya Competition and the Houston Grand Opera Studio.