About

Biography

Mezzo-soprano Clea Huston has a unique and powerful voice, “with formidable virtuosity over a wide range” (The Boston Globe). “…her mezzo-soprano voice is nothing less than spectacular in its power, agility, and beauty” (San Francisco Classical Voice). The rich velvety quality of Clea’s voice, combined with her impressive range is uniquely suited to Verdi and Mahler. Ms. Huston enjoys both the concert and operatic stage, and has been seen in these venues across the country and internationally.

Highlights of Clea’s solo symphonic engagements include: an extraordinary Wagner program with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Verdi’s Requiem with the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra, joining the Boulder Bach Festival as their Resident Artist for their 2016/17 season, and alto soloist in the St. Matthew Passion and The Messiah with the Messiah Festival of the Arts. Mrs. Huston has also sung with the Boulder Philharmonic, Boulder Symphony, Cheyenne Symphony, Boulder Chorale, Aurora Symphony, Pueblo Symphony Orchestra, The Messiah Choral Society of Grand Junction, the Boulder Chamber Orchestra, the Handel Society, and Con Brio Choral Society. She was also invited to sing as a soloist at the internationally attended Colorado MahlerFest and various concerts with the Boston Cecilia (including the role Delila in Handel’s Samson). Ms. Huston has been repeatedly requested back with many of these organizations, and she is pleased to continue deepening her relationships with these musicians.

Operatic highlights include: the title role in Rossini’s La Cenerentola, Jo (Little Women), La Principessa (Suor Angelica), Olga (Eugene Onegin), Flora (La Traviata), Lucretia and Bianca (The Rape of Lucretia), Marcellina (The Marriage of Figaro), Mère Marie (Dialogues of the Carmelites), Zita (Gianni Schicchi), Dorabella (Cosi fan Tutte), and Zerlina (Don Giovanni).

As a young artist with Lyric Opera Cleveland, Ms. Huston had the honor of working with the beloved American operatic composer Mark Adamo. She was involved in the production of Little Women under his direction. Clea has also had the opportunity of performing diverse symphonic concerts, ranging from early music art song to “opera pops” type concerts and art song cycles, such as Les nuits d’été (Berlioz) and Des Knaben Wunderhorn (Mahler). Mrs. Huston was a Metropolitan Opera Regional Finalist in San Francisco and an Alberta Heritage of Arts Scholarship recipient (a prestigious career grant).

Mrs. Huston has her Doctorate in Opera and Vocal Pedagogy from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and received her Masters and Undergraduate degrees from New England Conservatory of Music.

A native of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Clea is both a Canadian and American citizen.

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Personal Story

Music has been a pivotal element in my life for as long as I have memories. Singing speaks to my inner spirit in a way that is hard to explain. It not only feels like a connection to a bigger piece of the puzzle of life’s big questions, but also to what is beyond our understanding. Plato describes it as: “music gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” There could not
be a better way to put that feeling into words.

Many years of dance starting at a very young age inspired within me a love of theater, and an equally lengthy journey in flute gave me an appreciation for the intricacies of classical music.

Studying at the New England Conservatory of Music for my undergraduate and graduate degrees immersed me in the language of sound. It was a time when I was constantly surrounded by dedicated and talented musicians and mentors. It became my whole life. And now as a mother, wife, and singer, I realize that music is an ever-evolving expression of the cumulative experiences of our lives. I hope I have the opportunity to work with many more fantastic artists, as life unfolds with all its joys and struggles; and remember that “when words fail, music speaks” (Hans Christian Anderson).

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Repertoire

Oratorio

Magnificat ……………………………………………………..…. J.S. Bach
St. Matthew Passion ………………………………………. J.S. Bach
Mass in C Major ………………………………………… L. Beethoven
Symphony No.9 ……………………………………….… L. Beethoven
Stabat Mater ……………..………….………………….……… A. Dvořák
Dixit Dominus ………………………………………………. G.F. Handel
Messiah …………………………………………..………..….. G.F. Handel
Samson …………………………………………………………. G.F. Handel
Harmoniemesse ………………..…….………………………. J. Haydn
Nelson Mass …………..……..……….………………..………. J. Haydn
Coronation Mass …………………….…..………….…. W.A. Mozart
Davide penitente from Great Mass ………….. W.A. Mozart
Requiem ……………………………………….………….….. W.A. Mozart
Vesperae solennes de Dominica ………..……. W.A. Mozart
Messa da Requiem ……………………..……………………… G. Verdi

Art Song

From the Diary of Virginia Woolf (cycle) ……… D. Argento
Les nuits d’été ………………………………..…….…………… H. Berlioz
A Charm of Lullabies (cycle) ………………..……….…. B. Britten
Three Early Songs (cycle) ….……………….……………. G. Crumb
Trois Chansons de Bilitis ……..……..………………… C. Debussy
The Confession Stone (cycle) ………..……………… R. Fleming
Arianna a Naxos (cantata) ………….……..…….………. J. Haydn
Confiding (cycle) …….…..…………………………..…….…. D. Leisner
Das Lied von der Erde ………………….…….…………….. G. Mahler
Des Knaben Wunderhorn …………….…..………….…… G. Mahler
La fraîcheur et le feu …………..………..…………………. F. Poulenc
Mignon Leider ………..………….………………………………….. H. Wolf

Opera

Aunt Cecilia……………………………………….Little Women (M. Adamo)
Jo………………………………………………………..Little Women (M. Adamo)
Carmen…………………………………………………………….Carmen (G. Bizet)
Lucretia…………………………………..The Rape of Lucretia (B. Britten)
Bianca……………………………………..The Rape of Lucretia (B. Britten)
Mrs. Splinters…………………………….The Tender Land (A. Copland)
Mallika…………………………………………………………….Lakmé (L. Delibes)
Juno…………………………………………………………….Semele (G.F. Handel)
Miss Todd……………..The Old Maid and the Thief (G.C. Menotti)
Dorabella……………………………………….Così fan tutte (W.A. Mozart)
Zerlina…………………………………………….Don Giovanni (W.A. Mozart)
Third Lady………………………………….The Magic Flute (W.A. Mozart)
Marcellina……………………..The Marriage of Figaro (W.A. Mozart)
Mère Marie……………….Dialogues of the Carmelites (F. Poulenc)
Zita…………………………………………………..Gianni Schicchi (G. Puccini)
La Principessa………………………………….Suor Angelica (G. Puccini)
Mother………………………………..L’enfant et les sortileges (M. Ravel)
Cinderella………………………………………..La Cenerentola (G. Rossini)
Dalila…………………………………….Samson et Dalila (C. Saint-Saëns)
Katisha………………………………………………….The Mikado (A. Sullivan)
Olga……………………………………….Eugene Onegin (P.I. Tchaikovsky)
Teresa II……………………..Four Saints in Three Acts (V. Thomson)
Amneris………………………………………………………………….Aida (G. Verdi)
Dame Quickly…………………………………………………..Falstaff (G. Verdi)
Meg Page…………………………………………………………Falstaff (G. Verdi)
Maddalena…………………………………………………….Rigoletto (G. Verdi)
Flora…………………………………………………………….La traviata (G. Verdi)
Azucena………………………………………………………Il trovatore (G. Verdi)
The Prince………………………………………………….Cendrillon (P. Viardot)

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