Praised for her vocal beauty, fearlessly committed acting, and impeccable technique, soprano Celena Shafer is recognized as one of the leading artists of her generation garnering great acclaim for her operatic, orchestral, and recital performances.
The 2006/2007 season for Ms. Shafer includes the Brahms German Requiem with the New York Philharmonic and Lorin Maazel for their Brahms Festival as well as with the Utah Symphony & Opera conducted by Keith Lockhart. Ms. Shafer also joins Mr. Lockhart and chamber musicians from the Utah Symphony for Bach's Wedding cantata no. 202 "Weichet nur, betrubte Schatten" and selected Handel Oratorio arias.
The 2005/06 season included Ms. Shafer's Chicago Symphony debut in Mahler's Symphony No. 2 led by Michael Tilson Thomas; her Carnegie Hall debut in Mozart's Requiem with Donald Runnicles and the Orchestra of St. Luke's; her Los Angeles Philharmonic debut in the Mozart Requiem led by Christoph von Dohnányi, Mozart's Coronation Mass on Mozart's 250th birthday with the New York Philharmonic and music director Lorin Maazel; Mozart's Mass in C minor with the Kansas City Symphony and Nicholas McGegan; her debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony in Handel's Messiah; the Poulenc Gloria conducted by Raymond Leppard, and Lisette in La Rondine conducted by Keith Lockhart, both with Utah Symphony & Opera. Recital appearances included the Libby Gardner Virtuoso Series at the University of Utah, and the Signature Series at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Among highlights from past seasons include back to back debuts in Handel's Messiah with the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra, Johanna in a new production of Sweeney Todd for her Lyric Opera of Chicago debut, Aithra in Die Aegyptische Helena with the American Symphony Orchestra which was recorded and released on Telarc, Zerbinetta in a concert performance of Ariadne auf Naxos with the Radio Filharmonisch Orkest Holland at the Concertgebouw, her San Francisco Symphony debut in Carmina Burana, Nanetta in Falstaff with Los Angeles Opera, Gilda in a new production of Rigoletto with the Welsh National Opera, the title role in Esclarmonde with the Washington Concert Opera, and Giunia in Lucio Silla and Hero in Beatrice and Benedict with the Santa Fe Opera. She can also be heard as the Coloratura on the Chant du Monde recording of Laurent Petitigirard's Joseph Merrick dit L'elephant man.
