PERFORMANCE
An artist who defies categorization, Canadian mezzo-soprano Kimberly Barber has appeared on international operatic and concert stages (Paris, Chicago, New York City, London, Rome, Tokyo, Frankfurt, Montreal, Seattle and Toronto are among her stomping grounds) in a diverse and eclectic repertoire for over 35 years. She has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, Naxos, CBC Records, Teldec and Dutton Classics. A passionate educator, she is Professor of Voice at Wilfrid Laurier University, and teaches around the world in a wide variety of contexts. A strong advocate for the operatic art form and passionate about its future, she enjoys writing and presenting for novices and aficionados alike.
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Canadian mezzo-soprano Kimberly Barber has appeared on international operatic and concert stages (Paris, Chicago, New York City, London, Rome, Tokyo, Frankfurt, Montreal, Seattle and Toronto are among her stomping grounds) in a diverse and eclectic repertoire for over 35 years. A passionate educator, she is Professor of Voice at Wilfrid Laurier University (where she has been on faculty since 2002) and coordinates their Opera Program. Since 2017 she is Associate Dean, External for Laurier’s Faculty of Music. A strong advocate for the operatic art form and passionate about its future, she enjoys writing and presenting for novices and aficionados alike. Her articles and interviews are featured online on www.schmopera.com and many other forums.
A champion of the music of our time, Kimberly made her Winnipeg and Little Opera Company debuts in Canadian premiere performances as Madeline Mitchell in Jake Heggie’s THREE DECEMBERS in May 2022. Her return to Toronto’s Tapestry Opera in May 2017, creating the role of the fortune-teller Asa in the world premiere of OKSANA G, garnered rave reviews and a Dora Award nomination for Best Ensemble. Her newly commissioned work, AKI/THIS LAND (Abigail Richardson-Schulte), saw her join forces with TorQ Percussion Quartet, storyteller Rene Meshake and harpist Angela Schwarzkopf in a world premiere with NUMUS in Waterloo, Ontario (May 2017). Just prior to the pandemic, travels took her to Lyon, France, Wiesbaden, Germany and Vienna, Austria, as well as across Canada (Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton, Victoria and northern Ontario) for concerts, conferences and master classes.
An artist who defies categorization, Kimberly Barber is recognized for the verisimilitude, intensity and depth of her interpretations of Strauss’s Composer, Handel’s Xerxes (for which she was nominated for Toronto’s Dora Award as Best Singing Actress) Mrs. De Rocher in Heggie’s DEAD MAN WALKING (which won Montreal’s prestigious Award OPUS in 2013) and Blitzstein’s Regina among many others. She has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, Naxos, CBC Records, Teldec and Dutton Classics.
