VISI Faculty: Susan Platts
British-born
Canadian mezzo-soprano Susan Platts brings a uniquely rich and wide-ranging
voice to the concert and recital repertoire for alto and mezzo-soprano.
Ms Platts recently made her debuts at Teatro alla Scala and Teatro di San Carlo as well as return appearances with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra and Vancouver Symphony. She also performed at last years NAC Gala with Kathleen Battle.
In May of 2004, as part of the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative, world-renowned soprano Jessye Norman chose Ms Platts from 26 candidates world-wide to be her protégée. Since then, Susan has had the honor of mentoring with Ms Norman.
During past seasons, Ms Platts has performed at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center as well as performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra, CBC Radio Orchestra (Mario Bernardi), L’Orchestre de Paris (Christoph Eschenbach), NAC Orchestra (Pinchus Zuckerman), Toronto Symphony Orchestra (Sir Andrew Davis, Jane Glover), Les Violons du Roy (Bernard Labadie), the Oregon Bach Festival (Helmuth Rilling), the LA Chamber Orchestra and the Detroit Symphony (Itzhak Perlman). Ms Platts has opened two of America's distinguished art song series: the Vocal Arts Society at the Kennedy Center, in Washington D.C. and the "Art of the Song" Series at Lincoln Center, in New York City.
This fall, she will perform with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven Symphony No 9 and Mahler Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen as well as appearing at the new opera house in Toronto singing Mahler Das Lied von der Erde with The National Ballet. She will also make her debut with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra with Roberto Abbado.
She has recorded Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde for Fontec Records with Gary Bertini and the Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra, a CD of dramatic sacred art songs with Dalton Baldwin, Gustav Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen with the Smithsonian Chamber Players and Santa Fe Pro Musica for Dorian Records and most recently Brahms “Zwei Gesänge” on the ATMA label with Steve Dann and Lambert Orkis.