Robin Follman, Soprano
Operatic Biography
Robin Follman has been described as a soprano with “the whole package” (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel). With international acclaim, she has performed opera, concert, and oratorio works throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. Opera News says Follman, “brought enchantingly pure tone, easy high range and rich musical style to her international-class Marguerite” and “a singer-actress fully worthy of that dual distinction” of her portrayal of Mimi in La Bohème." She has performed with opera houses including Houston Grand Opera, Los Angeles Opera, New York City Opera, Washington Opera, Michigan Opera Theater, Opera Pacific, Florentine Opera, Singapore Lyric Opera, Lyric Opera Malaysia, Hawaii Opera, and Opera Carolina.
Recently, she made role debuts as Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly at Florentine Opera of Milwaukee and the title role in Turandot at the Dayton Opera. Opera News said, “Robin Follman's Turandot was vocally all steel and ice with power to spare. Her Turandot was haughty to the extreme, with facial expressions of utter contempt and long fingernails a-twitter.” Additionally, she appeared as Nedda in Pagliacci for Opera Columbus and Mimi in La Bohème with Opera East Texas. Upcoming appearances include the title role of Turandot with Opera Lyra Ottawa in Canada and a double-bill of I Elle in La Voix Humaine and Nedda in Pagliacci with Cleveland Opera. This September, she will also appearance in concert, “Romance of the Mission” at the historical Mission San Juan Capistrano in Southern California with the Ron Kobayashi Quartet.
Additional recent engagements include Minnie in La Fanciulla del West with the St. Bart’s Festival, Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus with Opera Carolina, Musetta in La Bohème with Opera Columbus, In the 2006-2007 Season, she performed Nedda in I Pagliacci with Macau International Music Festival, Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus with Manitoba Opera, the Three Heroines in Les Contes d’Hoffmann with The Madlenianum Opera and in Belgrade; Hannah in The Merry Widow with Indianapolis Opera, Singapore Lyric Opera and Lyric Opera Malaysia; Alice Ford in Falstaff with Opera Lyra Ottawa; Magda in La Rondine with Utah Symphony & Opera; Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus and Marguerite in Faust with Michigan Opera Theater; Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni with Santa Barbara Opera; Carmina Burana in Portland, Oregon with the widely acclaimed dance troop BodyVox. Other performances include First Lady in Die Zauberflöte with Los Angeles Opera and the Beijing Music Festival; Desdemona in Otello with Hawaii Opera Theatre; Mimi in La Bohème with Opera Carolina; Musetta with New York City Opera, Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi with Fresno Grand Opera, Micaëla in Carmen for Houston Grand Opera; and Nedda in I Pagliacci with Fresno Grand Opera.
This fall, she will be releasing “Robin Follman, Dramatic Heroines”, a recording compiled of unique dramatic soprano literature, some of which are previously unrecorded historical pieces of the Verismo period of music (Steven Mercurio conducting.) In January 2011, she will release “Robin Follman, Puccini Heroines”; a musical overview highlighting majority of Giacomo Puccini’s most beloved opera s. Of her first solo album “Rare Verismo Arias”(VOG/Qualiton) with Yves Abel conducting the English Chamber Orchestra, Gramophone Magazine says “a dramatic prowess that tears into the very heart of the style. Some singers invest every note with emotion. Follman's first attention is to the musical line, which she pushes and pulls to great effect Follman's performances are clearly delineated, with no two characters sounding alike.” She can also be heard on Brahms' Liebeslieder Walzer, Op. 82, with the William Hall Master Chorale (Angel).
A frequent visitor to the concert stage, Ms. Follman has appeared with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, the Richmond Symphony, International Italian Orchestra, Oklahoma City Orchestra, and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Some of her appearances include the Soprano Soloist in the Andrea Bocelli “A Royal Christmas Tour” west coast tour dates to renowned acclaim, Second Soprano and Un Poenitentium in the Mahler 8th Symphony and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony in Taiwan. Ms. Follman recently appeared in concert at the Irvine Bowl with Opera Pacific entitled “Young at Heart” and in recital with tenor Warren Mok in Taipei, Taiwan in the National Cultural Center. In addition, she has performed the soprano soloist in Rossini's Stabet Mater and Mahler 8th Symphony with the Macau International Music Festival in a live Asian broadcast, Serpina in La Serva Padrona with the Bochum Symphony Orchestra and Violetta in La Traviata with the South Texas Symphony.
In addition to her extensive performing career, Ms. Follman has carried the title of Director of the Opera & Choral Conservatories since 2003 and most recently in 2008 was named Artistic Director of the nationally recognized Orange County High School of the Arts in Santa Ana, California. In 2008, she received the honor of Artist of the Year from Arts Orange County and has been a finalist in 2007 and 2008 for Educator of the Year. In January 2009, she produced “Operatic Fusion: Blending the Traditions of Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow” at the Renee & Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa, California. The hugely successful venture was referred to as the “Mother of All Mentorships” (Orange County Register) where professional operatic artists including Steven Mercurio, Bernard Uzan, Joseph Bascetta, Lynette Tapia, Mark Thomsen and instrumentalists from the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Pacific Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic and the San Diego Symphony performed along side aspiring young artists from the Orange County High School of the Arts, Chapman University’s School of Music, Manhattan School of Music and local children’s choruses. Dr. David DiChiera, founder of the late Opera Pacific, was the featured honoree as having brought Opera to the Orange County community over 20 years ago. Mostly recently, Ms. Follman was nominated by the Orange County Business Journal as one of the top Women in Business 2009 and was honored by the Orange County School District as having made “Outstanding Contributions in Education 2010” toward furthering arts education in the community at large.
