PAULA RASMUSSEN
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Mezzo-Soprano

Mezzo-soprano Paula Rasmussen is one of America's rising stars, equally recognized for her performances in concert as well as opera. She has performed with Opera National de Paris, Oper Stadt der Koln, Welsh National Opera, Bayerische Sattsaoper, De Nederlandse Opera, Glyndebourne, Grand Theatre de Geneve, Los Angeles Opera, Dallas Opera, New York City Opera, and Glimmerglass Opera as well as the Boston Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Houston Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Cincinnati May Festival and the Atlanta Symphony. Conductors she has collaborated with include Bolton, Conlon, Delfs, von Dohnanyi, Hogwood, Jenkins, Joel, McGegan, Pido, Salonen and Wolff.

In recent seasons Ms Rassmussen performed the role of
Carmen with the New York City Opera, La Clemenza di Tito in Munich, Le Nozze di Figaro in Dallas and the Mozart Requiem in Tanglewood. Most recent and upcoming engagements include Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia with the Pittsburgh Opera, Hansel and Gretel (with husband Donald Sherrill as Peter) in Dallas, La Cenerentola in Koln, Il Viaggio a Reims in Barcelona and Aridane auf Naxos in Palermo as well as the Bach Magnificat with Jane Glover and Chicago's Music of the Baroque.

The 2001 season began with Sesto in
Giulio Cesare in Los Angeles, followed by Cherubino in Nozze di Figaro in Amsterdam, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia for Welsh National Opera and returned to the Cincinnati May Festival to sing Bach's Mass in b minor and Ullman's Kaiser vom Atlantis. She also forayed into the soprano repertoire recently singing Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni with the Los Angeles Opera and at the Savonlinna Festival. In 2000 Paula debuted the role of Carmen in Koln and reprised the title role of Xerxes in Montpellier, Ludwigshafen and Dresden.

Operatic performances in recent seasons include
La Clemenza di Tito for Opera National de Paris and Glyndebourne, Werther, Il Ritorno D'Ullisse in Patria, Ariadne auf Naxos and Hansel und Gretel in Los Angeles, Nabucco for Paris Opera, Nozze di Figaro in Seville, Il Viaggio a Reims for New York City Opera, Xerxes for Geneva, Koln and Tanglewood. In concert she has recently sung Bach's Mass in b minor with the Cleveland Orchestra, Debussy's Le Martyre de Saint Sebastien and La Manoiselle Elue (recorded and released by SONY) for the LA Philharmonic and in recital with Benita Valenti at the Ravinnia Festival.