Andrea Baker
American born mezzo-soprano Andrea Baker studied singing at the Boston Conservatory Extension School and the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York with Jan Degaetani, and privately with Blanche Thebom. She was a Metropolitan Opera Competition National finalist and began her stage career with the San Francisco Opera in 1995 in the role of Schwertleite in Die Walküre under Donald Runnicles. Andrea is now based in the United Kingdom.
Andrea Baker has subsequently built her career in Europe and made her much acclaimed German debut as Fricka in Das Rheingold and Die Walküre in Theater Augsburg’s Ring Cycle. From 1998-2002 she was an ensemble member of the Staatstheater Nürnberg where she sang Baba the Turk in The Rake’s Progress, Herodias Salome, title role Carmen, Fricka in Das Rheingold and Die Walküre, Waltraute Götterdämmerung, Erda Siegfried, Magdalene Die Meistersinger Von Nürnberg, Azucena Il Trovatore and Komponist Ariadne Auf Naxos.
Her repertoire further includes title role Carmen for Opera Australia, Herodias Salome with the London Symphony Orchestra with Richard Hickox, Fricka, Waltraute, 2nd Norn, and Erda in the Chinese Premier of Wagner’s Ring Cycle for the 2005 Peking Arts Festival with Phillip Auguin, Sophie in Liszt’s Die Legende Von Der Heiligen Elisabeth for Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Azucena in Il Trovatore for the Essen Theater with Stefan Soltesz, Waltraute Götterdämmerung for the Nationaltheater Mannheim with Adam Fischer, Waltraute in Götterdämmerung and Ortrud in Lohengrin for the Theater Kassel with Roberto Paternostro, 2nd Norn in Götterdämmerung Bayerische Staatsoper, München (Mehta), Schwertleite Die Walküre for Palau de les Arts, Valencia (Mehta), Schwertleite for the Aix en Provence Festival (Rattle), title role in Händel’s Tamerlano for Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Düsseldorf, Kostelnicka Jenùfa for the Meiningen Theater, Fricka, Waltraute, Erda and 1st Norn in the International May Festival’s Ring Cycle in Wiesbaden, Amneris Aida for Dortmund and Kaiserslautern, Serena Porgy & Bess for New York Harlem Productions tours of Japan and Austria, Nen-Nen in the world premiere of Dominique Le Gendre’s Bird Of Night at the Linbury Studio, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and Suzanne in Dave Heath’s An Everyday Occurrence for Mr McFalls Chamber.
In addition to operatic engagements she appears frequently as a concert soloist. Her repertoire includes the Verdi Requiem, Händel’s Messiah, the symphonies of Beethoven and Hartmann and Wagner’s Wesendonk Lieder. Andrea Baker has extensively performed Mahler’s symphonic works including Kindertotenlieder and Symphony No. 2 at the Berlin Philharmonie and Das Lied Von Der Erde with the pianist Cyprien Katsaris at the Cité de la Musique, Paris. Andrea Baker also sang Margaretha in Schumann’s Genoveva and Mahler’s 3rd Symphony in Wiesbaden with Marc Piollet.
Recent engagements include 1st Norn Götterdämmerung with Donald Runnicles at the BBC Proms, Mrs Grose Turn of the Screw for the Festival de Ópera de Tenerife, Amneris Aida and Brangäne Tristan und Isolde for Städtische Bühnen, Münster, Die Walküre at the Salzburger Osterfestpiele and Kindertotenlieder with Sinfonieorchester Münster. Engagements in 2008 include The Pigrim’s Progress with Philharmonia and Richard Hickox and Beethoven 9th Symphony with Pappano and the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, Elgar The Music Makers and Prokofiev Alexander Nevsky for Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra and further performances of Aida in Münster. Subsequent engagements include covering Waltraute Die Walküre at the Metropolitan Opera, New York (Lorin Maazel) and singing Waltraute Die Walküre for Hawaii Opera Theater.
Promoters please note: if you wish to include this biography in a concert programme etc, please contact Hazard Chase to ensure that you receive the most up to date version.
Email: Lucy Goddard
