Mezzo soprano Krista River, hailed by Opera News for her “lovely clarity and golden color,” is a versatile performer at home in repertoire ranging from the Baroque period to the 21st century. She was a winner of the 2004 Concert Artists Guild International Competition and a 2007 grant recipient from the Sullivan Foundation. Recent notable performances include the International Water & Life Festival in Qinghai, China, and recitals at Jordan Hall in Boston, the Asociacion Nacional de Conciertos in Panama City, Panama, and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, about which the New York Times praised her “warm voice and witty style.”
Included in this season are the role of Sesto in Emmanuel Music’s concert production of La clemenza di Tito; de Falla’s El Amor Brujo with the Orchestra of Indian Hill; Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with Choral Society of Durham; a 9/11 memorial concert with North Carolina Symphony; and a variety of chamber music collaborations.
Opera performances have been numerous throughout the United States, and Ms. River’s local orchestral engagements have included appearances with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Handel & Haydn Society, Boston Musica Viva, and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project. She has also performed as a guest artist at music festivals, including John Harbison’s Token Creek Chamber Music Festival, Monadnock Music, Music from Salem, Saco River Festival, Meeting House Music Festival on Cape Cod, and the Portland Chamber Music Festival in Maine.
An advocate of contemporary music, Krista River has given world premieres of several new works by a variety of composers. She began her career as a cellist, earning her music degree at St. Olaf College. She resides in Boston and is a regular soloist with Emmanuel Music’s renowned Bach Cantata Series.