Nicole Cabell

Vocalists — Soprano

Manager: Michael Benchetrit
Management Territory: Worldwide

"The concert offered a substantial lure in the form of Nicole Cabell, a stellar soprano making her Philharmonic debut. Ms. Cabell, adorned in a different gown for each half of the program, was consistently alluring, her bright, creamy sound deployed with a beguiling ease. In Gustave Charpentier’s “Depuis le jour” (from “Louise”), the Jewel Song from Gounod’s “Faust” and Donizetti’s “Prendi, per me sei libero” (from “L’Elisir d’Amore”) Ms. Cabell was ideal, with an attentive partner in Mr. Tovey. Warmly received throughout, Ms. Cabell drew the audience to its feet with her encore, Puccini’s “O Mio Babbino Caro” (from “Gianni Schicchi”)." —Steve Smith, The New York Times, July 7, 2010-Summertime Classics Concert-La Dolce Vita with the New York Philharmonic

“Cabell, with her creamy sound and poised line, effectively conveyed her character's pathos and resolve, and she was warmly applauded.” —John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune, March 18, 2010-Countess Almaviva in Le nozze di Figaro at Lyric Opera of Chicago

“Nicole Cabell offered a superb Adina; a splash of cream in her middle register (at times almost eerily reminiscent of the young Mirella Freni) has grown richer, and her performance was graced with liquid trills in the Act I ensemble and point-on articulation of the passagework in ‘Il mio rigor dimentica..." —Mark Thomas Ketterson, Opera News, April 2010-Adina in L'Elisir d'Amore at Lyric Opera of Chicago

About

Nicole Cabell, the 2005 Winner of the BBC Singer of the World Competition in Cardiff and Decca recording artist, is fast becoming one of the most sought-after lyric sopranos of today. Her solo debut album, “Soprano” was named “Editor’s Choice” by Gramophone and has received an incredible amount of critical acclaim and several prestigious awards: the 2007 Georg Solti Orphée d’Or from the French Académie du Disque Lyrique and an Echo Klassik Award in Germany.

This season Nicole Cabell returns to the Metropolitan Opera and the Lyric Opera of Chicago . . . for Micaela in Carmen, to the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden for Leila in Les Pêcheurs de Perles, and for an exciting role debut: Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni with the Oper Köln and the Deutsche Oper, Berlin. She will also return to the Cincinnati Opera in one of her most acclaimed roles, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte. In concert, she will return to the Edinburgh Festival as the Mater Gloriosa in Mahler’s Symphony No. 8, followed by Gala Opening Concerts in Kuala Lumpur with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and their music director, Claus Peter Flor. Nicole Cabell will appear in solo recitals in Toronto and Louisville, KY. Future engagements include returns to Chicago, Montreal, Tokyo and the soprano’s San Francisco Opera debut, all in leading roles.

Recent engagements include Musetta in La Bohème at the Metropolitan Opera and for Miss Cabell’s debut at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires as well as Adina in L’Elisir d’Amore and the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. She also made debuts with the New Orleans Opera as Juliette in Romeo et Juliette and with the Atlanta Opera as Pamina. In concert, she debuted with three major orchestras: the New York Philharmonic in Opera Aria Concerts in New York and in Vail with Bramwell Tovey, the Boston Symphony in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Kurt Masur and the Cleveland Orchestra with its music director, Franz Welser-Möst, in Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem. Nicole Cabell returned to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for performances of Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with Markus Stenz, sang Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, first with the Singapore Symphony and John Nelson, then with the Accademia di Santa Cecilia and Antonio Pappano in Rome. In recital, she was heard in Urbana, IL and Savannah, GA.

Nicole Cabell’s previous season brought her to the Metropolitan Opera for her house debut in two of her most acclaimed roles: Pamina in The Magic Flute, followed by Adina in L’Elisir d’Amore. With her home company, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, she sang Leïla in Bizet’s Les Pêcheurs de Perles and an Opera Concert at Millenium Park conducted by the company’s Music Director, Sir Andrew Davis. Other opera engagements included two role debuts: the Countess in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro with the Cincinnati Opera and Micaëla in Carmen with the Deutsche Oper, Berlin. In concert, Nicole Cabell was heard in Copenhagen, Prague, Munich, Frankfurt, Dortmund, Ottawa, Indianapolis and Raleigh. Miss Cabell appeared twice in recital at Carnegie Hall, first for Marilyn Horne’s 75th birthday gala concert, then as part of Jessye Norman’s Honor Festival, apart from solo dates in Toronto, Berkeley and Cincinnati. A more unusual event in the soprano’s season was a series of cabaret concerts at the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

Miss Cabell’s 2007/2008 season began and ended with performances of the role of Musetta in La Bohème with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and the Washington Opera. Other notable opera appearances included Pamina with Opera Pacific and a concert of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale with the Bayerischer Rundfunk. Nicole Cabell was heard in concert in London, Munich, Lyon, Oslo and Pittsburgh as well as in Christmas concerts with the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. She appeared in recital in Atlanta’s Spivey Hall, Omaha, St Louis and Tryon.

Other recent engagements included many exciting debuts, most notably with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as Eudoxie in concert performances of La Juive, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Carnegie Hall in Poulenc’s Gloria, the Santa Fe Opera as Musetta in La Bohème, the Opéra de Montpellier as Adina in L’Elisir d’Amore, the Deutsche Oper in Berlin as Juliette, Ilia in Idomeneo and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, as well as the release of her first solo CD for Decca, “Nicole Cabell, Soprano”. Another important recording project was the title-role of Donizetti’s Imelda de’ Lambertazzi for Opera Rara, which she also performed in concert in London. Notable concert appearances included Carmina Burana and Honey and Rue with the Oslo Philharmonic and Andre Previn, an all-Bernstein evening at Harvard with Judith Clurman, the Gorecki 3rd Symphony with the Minnesota Orchestra and Osmo Vänskä and a return to the Indianapolis Symphony for a concert of Opera Arias with Mario Venzago. Miss Cabell also appeared in recital in London, Tokyo, Hammond, LA, and for the opening of the new hall at Mount Vernon, VA.

Prior to that, Nicole Cabell made a number of debuts, especially in opera with the Palm Beach and Madison Operas for Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, with Michigan Opera Theater as Musetta in La Bohème and, last but not least, with the Spoleto Festival USA for Juliette in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette. She appeared in recital in New York City as part of Marilyn Horne’s Birthday Gala at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall as well as in Chicago, Buffalo and Bradford, PA. On the concert stage Miss Cabell was heard in Louisville in both the Poulenc Gloria and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with Raymond Leppard in both cases, in Milwaukee in a program of Shakespeare-themed pieces with Nicholas McGegan, in crossover concerts with the Pasadena Pops and in Montreal Opera’s annual gala. She also sang in a Classical Christmas program with the Indianapolis Symphony. Later in the season, Nicole Cabell returned to Rome for concerts of Britten’s Les Illuminations and Mahler’s 4th Symphony with James Conlon and the Accademia di Santa Cecilia. In the summer, Miss Cabell made her London concert debut at the Proms in Britten’s Les Illuminations with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Sir Andrew Davis; she returned to the Ravinia Festival for a crossover concert with James Conlon, to the Bard Music Festival for a recital of Franz Liszt Lieder and a concert of music by Halévy and to the Pasadena Pops for evenings of music from around the Mediterranean. She also made her St Louis debut with more crossover concerts with the Compton Heights Band.

While a member of the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Lyric Opera Center for American Artists (now known as Ryan Opera Center), Nicole Cabell had the opportunity to sing the title-role in Janacek’s The Cunning Little Vixen in student matinees as well as to cover the roles of Marzelline in Fidelio and Rita Billingsly in the world premiere of William Bolcom’s A Wedding. Miss Cabell made her extremely successful Orchestra Hall debut with the Chicago Symphony in concerts of Tippett’s A Child of Our Time with Sir Andrew Davis conducting. She also made her European debut in concerts of Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem with the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome with Antonio Pappano and Thomas Hampson; she appeared with the Florida Orchestra as the Soprano Soloist in Mahler’s 4th Symphony with the Florida Orchestra and Stefan Sanderling and in Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 with the Baltimore Symphony. Nicole Cabell was heard in recital in Little Rock, AK.

The preceding year she sang Barbarina and covered Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro and appeared as Isabel in The Pirates of Penzance at the Lyric Opera, having sung with the same company the role of Crobyle in Thaïs in the fall of 2002. In concert, she made her debut with the Oregon Symphony as the Soprano Soloist in Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with Carlos Kalmar and repeated Barbarina with the Chicago Symphony and Daniel Barenboim at the Ravinia Festival. In the summer, Miss Cabell was also heard live on A Prairie Home Companion in a celebration of Ravinia’s 50th season and sang the role of Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi with the Grant Park Festival.

In concert, Nicole Cabell was a featured soloist in Ravinia's All Gershwin Concert with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the baton of David Alan Miller, and participated in Ravinia's opening day concert, accompanied by Welz Kauffman. Miss Cabell has appeared as a soloist in Chicago's Grant Park Festival and Lyric Opera Center for American Artists Rising Stars in Concert.

Awards include first place in both the Palm Beach Opera Vocal Competition and the Women's Board of Chicago Vocal Competition. Nicole Cabell was a semi-finalist in the 2005 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and earned first place in the American Opera Society competition in Chicago. She is the 2002 winner of the Union League's Rose M. Grundman Scholarship, and the 2002 Farwell Award with the Woman's Board of Chicago. Nicole Cabell holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Vocal Performance from the Eastman School of Music.

Updated August 2010