- Ashley Putnam
Ashley Putnam (born 1952) is an American
soprano fromNew York City . Her professional singing career began in 1976 and has spanned over 30 years.Known for her wide-ranging repertoire, expressive acting, and glamorous presence, Putnam has performed in the world's most prestigious
opera houses , including theMetropolitan Opera , Covent Garden,Vienna Staatsoper ,Berlin Staatsoper ,La Fenice ,Cologne Opera ,Frankfurt Opera ,Teatro Colón (Buenos Aires ),Glyndebourne Opera ,New York City Opera ,Chicago Lyric Opera ,San Francisco Opera ,Houston Grand Opera , TheSanta Fe Opera ,Los Angeles Opera ,Washington Opera ,San Diego Opera ,Seattle Opera ,Aix-en-Provence Festival ,Dallas Opera ,Nice Opera ,Scottish Opera ,Opera Theatre of St. Louis , Netherlands Opera,Brussels Opera ,Santiago Opera ,Zurich Opera , Strasbourg Opera, and the Maggio Musicale inFlorence .Her concert credits include performances with the
New York Philharmonic ,Pittsburgh Symphony ,Concertgebouw ,San Francisco Symphony , Los Angeles Symphony, Denver Symphony, Philharmonia Baroque, Columbus Symphony,Duluth Symphony ,Seattle Symphony , Portland Symphony, Huntsville Symphony,Montreal Symphony ,Tacoma Symphony ,Austin Symphony ,St. Louis Symphony .Early Life & Career
Ashely Putnam began her music career playing the
flute . Her mother was an amateursinger and was a regularsoloist at the church where she also sang in the choir. The young Ashley began playing the flute and attended theInterlochen Center for the Arts in the summers during high school. Upon graduation from high school, Ashley enrolled at theUniversity of Michigan School of Music as a flute major. There she sang in the university choirs and realized she had a voice when she was given solos in choir. She soon switched to a vocal major and, in 1973, was a Summer apprentice withSanta Fe Opera . She completed herBachelor of Music degree program in May, 1974, and then began her graduate studies at UM. She returned to Santa Fe's Apprentice Program in summer 1975, and then finished herMaster of Music degree in December, 1975. In the Spring of 1976, Ashley was one of two winners of theMetropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.Professional career
After winning the MET Auditions, Ashley's career took off. Her operatic roles have included Violetta ("
La traviata "), Mimi ("La bohème "), Lucia ("Lucia di Lammermoor "), Arabella ("Arabella "), Fiordiligi ("Così fan tutte "), Musetta ("La bohème"), Vitellia ("La clemenza di Tito "), Anna Maurrant ("Street Scene"), and many others. She has sung in every major opera house in America and most of the world's leading houses.Ashley Putnam is now a member of the voice faculty at the
Manhattan School of Music , and has a private studio in New York. She has taught masterclasses throughout the country, adjudicates for the Metropolitan National Council Auditions, and has served on the voice faculties ofDePaul University , and theEastman School of Music at theUniversity of Rochester .Recordings
Audio:"La bohème", "Musetta";
Sir Colin Davis , conductor; Phillips, 1979.:"Mary, Queen of Scots", "Mary"; Peter Mark, conductor; Moss Music, 1978.:"Divas of a Certain Age", "Diva II" and "Cecily"; Jay D. Meetze, conductor; Albany Records, 2006.Video:"Street Scene", "Anna Maurrant"; German Television, Produced by Zambello, 1994.:"La clemenza di Tito", "Vitellia"; Glyndebourne, conducted by Sir Colin Davis, produced by Hytner, 1991. :"Così fan tutte", "Fiordiligi";
BBC , produced by Miller, 1985. :"Arabella", "Arabella"; Glyndebourne, conducted by Haitink, produced by Cox, 1984Links
* [http://myspace.com/PutnamForever MySpace.com - PutnamForever] , an Ashley Putnam Fansite
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
