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“…a lambent-toned Burgess gave the performance of the evening with her whimsical, touching interpretation of Reger’s “Funf neue Kinderlieder, Op. 142” which was intimate in manner, but gloriously full-voiced.” (Globe & Mail) “Norine Burgess’ Mother Marie was such a tower of strength that we crumpled when she did” (The Arizona Republic) Canadian mezzo-soprano Norine Burgess’ compelling stage presence and beauty of tone have brought her to the attention of major international opera houses and leading orchestras, both national and international. The 2007-2008 season sees Norine return to the Edmonton Opera as Meg Page in Falstaff and in one of her major roles, Maddalena, in the Calgary Opera production of Rigoletto. A favourite of the Aldeburgh Connection, she appears in concert with Laura Albino and Michael Barrett at Walter Hall in Toronto on April 27, 2008. The 2006-2007 season Norine reprised one of her signature roles — Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus — before returning to Toronto to sing in Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. In February 2007 she returned to the Aldeburgh Connection for The Anniversary Waltz: Silver Jubilee Gala and in May, Norine appeared in "Tyger Tyger”, a concert featuring the texts of William Blake with the Talisker Players and tenor Colin Ainsworth. The previous season featured her return to Vienna to reprise the role of Miss Mary Lloyd in Die Herzogin von Chicago and Second Lady in Die Zauberflöte, both for the Volksoper, appearances in Opera Ontario's production of Romeo et Juliette, at the Vancouver Opera as Siebel in Faust and in concert with Toronto Aldeburgh's Connection. The summer 2006 took her to Waterside for a duo recital with baritone Russell Braun, with Carolyn Maule at the piano. Ms. Burgess’ 2004-2005 season was dominated by her extended appearance as Miss Mary Lloyd with the Vienna Volksoper in its production of Die Herzogin von Chicago. Other season highlights include performances of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and a concert of songs by English composers for the Aldeburgh Connection. Her 2003-2004 season featured two major concerts – a special Christmas concert in Vienna and a Liebeslieder Walzer at the Weill Recital Hall (Carnegie Hall) with an all-star Canadian cast of Michael Schade, Russell Braun and Isabel Bayrakdarian. In April she returned to her native Calgary for performances of The Tales of Hoffmann with the Calgary Opera. Other appearances will kept her closer to her home in Oakville: an all-Berlioz concert in January with soprano Donna Brown at the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, a fund-raising gala for Hepatitis, and in concert with the Oakville Children’s Choir for their 10th Anniversary. Ms. Burgess’ focus for much of 2002-2003 were her twins, born in November 2002. However, she made a very successful return to the concert stage in the spring of 2003, in a concert for the Aldeburgh Connection in Toronto followed by a Liebeslieder Walzer in Quebec City with Michael Schade, Russell Braun and Donna Brown. Ms. Burgess’ busy 2001-2002 opera season included appearances as Maddalena in Rigoletto with the Edmonton Opera, Prince Orlofsky in the Vancouver Opera production of Die Fledermaus and Mother Marie in Dialogues des Carmélites in Tucson and Phoenix with the Arizona Opera. Ms. Burgess also performed in concert with the Windsor Symphony and was one of the featured performers in a fundraising gala for Leukemia Research. In the 1999-2000 season, Norine Burgess made a sensational appearance as Maddelena in the Vancouver Opera production of Rigoletto and returned to her native Calgary to sing Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus with the Calgary Opera. The season also included performances with the Calgary Philharmonic in Handel’s Messiah, and with the Kitchener-Waterloo Philharmonic Choir in a performance of the Healey Willan Requiem. Ms. Burgess also appeared in the Aldeburgh Connection’s Centennial Concert (Toronto) and received particular acclaim for her performance in the Off-Centre Music’s “Schubertiade” in Toronto. In December 2000 she performed Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with the Kitchener-Waterloo Philharmonic Choir. In the summer of 2000 Ms. Burgess returned to the Salzburg Festival, where she sang the role of Neris in Cherubini’s rarely-performed opera Medee under the direction of Sir Charles MacKerras. She debuted with the Salzburg Festival in 1997 in the new production of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte as the Second Lady, a role she reprised in 1999. The 1998-1999 season saw Ms. Burgess perform with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra singing Beethoven’s Mass in C and Choral Fantasy, the National Arts Centre Orchestra (Ottawa) in Handel’s Messiah, the Kitchener-Waterloo Philharmonic Choir in Bach’s St. John Passion and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra in Mahler’s Symphony No. 8, under the direction of Charles Dutoit. In December 1998, Ms. Burgess released a CD of Christmas Carols for the Canadian Musical Heritage Society. She has also performed and recorded Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 2 “Lobesang”, conducted by Helmuth Rilling, with the Internationale Bachakademie. In the 1997-1998 season, Ms. Burgess performed Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the Kitchener-Waterloo Philharmonic Choir, a concert of duets and arias with fellow Canadian Russell Braun and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the role of Siebel in Gounod’s Faust with the Calgary Opera, the Soprano II in Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the Hartford Symphony and Haydn’s Mass in B flat Major, “Harmoniemesse” at the 1998 Salzburg Festival. As well, Norine Burgess recorded Mozart’s C minor Mass for Naxos with the Budapest Philharmonic, conducted by Michael Halasz. A graduate of the University of Calgary and the University of Toronto’s Opera School, Norine Burgess received additional training as a member of the Canadian Opera Company (COC) Ensemble where she appeared in Electra, Suor Angelica, Lulu and Der Rosenkavalier. Ms. Burgess also performed Le Nozze di Figaro (Cherubino), Ariadne auf Naxos (Dryad), La Traviata (Flora) and Die Zauberflöte (Second Lady) with the COC. Additional operatic successes include Le Nozze di Figaro (Cherubino) and Carmen (Mercedes) with the Vancouver Opera, Fenena in Nabucco with Manitoba Opera, Albert Herring (Nancy) with the Calgary Opera and many appearances with the Edmonton Opera. Notable concert engagements have included the Mozart Requiem under Manfred Honeck in Leipzig and Halle, Peer Gynt with the Toronto Symphony, Handel’s Messiah with the Edmonton Symphony, and an Opera Gala with tenor Richard Margison for the Edmonton Opera, and Brahms Liebesliederwalzer and Britten Canticles at the Internationale Bachakademie in Stuttgart. She has also performed Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the Edmonton Symphony, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Winnipeg Symphony, Bach’s Cantata No. 147 with the National Arts Centre Orchestra (Ottawa) and the Monteverdi Vespers conducted by Helmuth Rilling with the Oregon Bach Festival.
Last Updated:
June 11, 2008
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