Biography

Soprano Patricia Racette continues to set the standard in works both classic and new.

Ms. Racette maintains strong relationships with the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera (where she is an almuna of the Merola Opera Program and a former Adler Fellow), Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, Washington National Opera, and the Santa Fe Opera. Seen regularly at these houses, her many roles have included the title roles in Jenufa, Luisa Miller, Madama Butterfly, and Kátya Kabanová; Violetta in La Traviata, Blanche de la Force and Madam Lidoine in Dialogues des Carmélites, Mimi and Musetta in La Bohéme, Nedda in Pagliacci, Desdemona in Otello, Marguerite in Faust, Tatyana in Eugene Onegin, Amelia in Simon Boccanegra, Elisabetta in Don Carlos, Ellen Orford in Peter Grimes, Liu in Turandot, Micaela in Carmen, Antonia in Les Contes d’Hoffman, Alice in Falstaff, Mathilde in Guillaume Tell, and Margherita in Boito’s Mefistofele.

Ms. Racette has also appeared at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden ; Opera National de Paris, Teatro alla Scala, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Opera di Genova, Vienna State Opera, Welsh National Opera, and the Saito Kinen Festival.

A supporter of new works by today’s leading composers, Ms. Racette most recently create the role of Roberta Alden in the world premiere of Tobias Picker’s new opera, An American Tragedy at the Metropolitan Opera. She also created the title role in the Santa Fe Opera’s world premiere of Tobias Picker’s Emmeline, which was shown on PBS’ Great Performances, and the role of Love Simpson in the Houston Grand Opera’s world premiere of Carlisle Floyd’s Cold Sassy Tree.

On the concert platform, Ms Racette has appeared with many of the world’s most prestigious orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Houston Symphony, the San Francisco Symphony, and the Cologne Philharmonic. She also recently recorded Zemlinsky’s Der Traumgorge with James Conlon and the Cologne Philharmonic. Most recently, she returned to the Hollywood Bowl to perform the title role in a concert version of Tosca.

This season Ms. Racette sang Madama Butterfly at the Metropolitan Opera and the San Francisco Opera, and for her debuts at the Bayerische Staatsoper and the Teatro Comunale Di Firenze. She also returned to the Metropolitan Opera in the new production of Peter Grimes, which was broadcast in HD in movie theaters around the world. On the concert platform, she made her debut with the London Philharmonic Orchestra as the title role in Das Wunder der Heliane in performances conducted by Vladimir Jurowski. Upcoming engagements include La Rodine at the Los Angeles Opera, and next season, she returns the Met, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the San Diego Opera for more performances of Madama Butterfly, and to the Washington National Opera for Peter Grimes.

Born and raised in New Hampshire , Ms. Racette studied jazz and music education at North Texas State University . She is winner of the prestigious 1998 Richard Tucker award.

March 2008

Photo credit: Devon Cass