Ariadne Greif '10

Ariadne Greif, winner of the 2008 Bard Conservatory Concerto Competition, will make her debut singing Witold Lutoslawski's "Chantefleurs et Chantefables" with the American Symphony Orchestra in April, conducted by Leon Botstein. This fall, she sings the role of "Sandmann"; in a concert version of Hansel und Gretel with the Chelsea Symphony, makes her debut at Le Poisson Rouge with her baroque band, and sings the main role, Madeline, in Debussy's unfinished opera La Chute de la Maison Usher with the Opera Francais de New York.

An avid champion of new music, in May 2009 she made her Carnegie Hall debut as part of the Upshaw-Golijov program, premiering pieces written for her by Elena Langer. In January 2009 she gave the world premiere of Aaron Dai's "Con Furia" in her debut with the Chelsea Symphony, conducted by Kyunghun Kim, and made her Fischer Center debut this fall singing "Ainu Dreams," nine new orchestral songs by Greg Armbruster, with the Bard Orchestra under the baton of Nathan Madsen. In spring 2008, she premiered "The Door," by Ryan Chase, with the Mannes Orchestra under the baton of Michael Adelson and starred twice as "Phaedra" in Christopher Park's new opera Phaedra and Hippolytus, which she is repeating this fall.

Ariadne is making her mark in New York as a recitalist and as a well informed baroque musician. She founded "Uncommon Temperament," or "UT," an early music ensemble that performs around Manhattan. This season, the group is presenting, among other things, a traveling production of Bach's Coffee Cantata in numerous unexpected locales (such as the Magnolia Bakery in Manhattan) and playing at Le Poisson Rouge as part of the Gotham Early Music Scene Showcase. With UT, Ariadne will be repeating the the role of "Dafne" in Handel's Apollo e Dafne, which she previously sang with the Mannes Baroque Chamber Players. Her mentors in the baroque world have included Arthur Haas, Nancy Wilson, and Myron Lutzke.

Ariadne earned her Bachelor of Music degree at Mannes College of Music, where she studied with Ruth Falcon and Beth Roberts. She is currently a masters degree candidate at Bard, where she receives a merit scholarship and studies with Lorraine Nubar.

A California native, in her early career as a "boy soprano," she toured internationally with the Los Angeles Childrens Chorus, performed as "Sem" in Britten's Noye's Fludde, and, among other things, sang in the premiere of Tobias Picker's Fantastic Mr. Fox at the Los Angeles Opera under the baton of Peter Ash.