Soprano Kathlene Ritch IN CONCERT
Soprano Kathlene Ritch, accompanied by pianist Debra Ayers, perform on Southwest Arts 2015-2016 season on Saturday, January 30 at 4:00 p.m. at Christ Lutheran Church, 1701 Arroyo Chamiso in Santa Fe. Tickets, $20 for adults and $5 for students and children, are available by clicking HERE, or at the door. They will perform works from Purcell to Richard Rodgers and Stephen Schwartz, settings of texts by Goethe, Blue Mountain Ballads by Paul Bowles, and more.
After earning a Bachelor’s of Music Studies degree from the University of Texas at Austin, Kathlene Ritch moved to New York City where she sang with such noted ensembles as the New York Philharmonic, London Sinfonietta, and the Vienna Philharmonic. In 2001, she made her solo debut at Lincoln Center with the American Symphony Orchestra in Listz’s Dante’s Inferno. With that same ensemble, she recorded a live concert version of Die aegyptische Helena as Hermione opposite Deborah Voigt’s Helen.
Kathlene’s true passion, musical theater, has been a lifelong pursuit. Her first role came at the age of 4, when she was cast as Marta in The Sound of Music. Some of her favorite roles include Sandy from Grease, Adelaide in Guys and Dolls, Maria in The Sound of Music, and Eliza in My Fair Lady. Two of her career highlights were performing Sweeney Todd at Lincoln Center with George Hearn, Patti Lupone and Neil Patrick Harris, as well as the concert version of Carousel at Carnegie Hall with Audra McDonald and Hugh Jackman.
In 2011, Kathlene moved to Santa Fe to be the accompanist for the Santa Fe High School Choral Department and the Director of the Royal School of Church Music at the Church of the Holy Faith. She also enjoys being an on-air announcer weekdays for Classical 95.5 KHFM Albuquerque/Santa Fe, but still finds time to sing with such groups as the Santa Fe Desert Chorale and the Grammy-winning ensemble Conspirare, with whom she is a featured soloist in their PBS special “Conspirare, a Company of Voices.”
Debra Ayers, pianist, is a founder and director of Montage Music Society and also performs with Abiquiu Chamber Music Festival, Breckenridge Music Festival, Serenata of Santa Fe, Taos Chamber Music Group, Taos Trio. She has enjoyed collaborations with Aspen Music Festival Chamber Players; American, Apple Hill, La Catrina and Vega string quartets. A proponent of contemporary music, Debra has recently recorded premieres by Ofer Ben-Amots and Jeff Harrington and is featured in the Milken Archive as well as on a number of critically acclaimed recordings, including Montage’s “STARRY NIGHT Project…music based on visual art” (MSR).