Christina Astrachan, voice
Since
coming to the United States fifteen years ago, soprano Christina
Astrachan has been much in demand as a versatile and expressive
singer, interpreting a repertoire that ranges from medieval to
contemporary music. She co-founded several early music ensembles
in Portland, Maine and performed with them throughout New England as
well as at the Boston Early Music Festival. A passionate Bach soloist,
she has performed all of his major solo cantatas, masses and oratorios.
Most recently she sang Cantata 51 "Jauchzet Gott" with Ray Cornils and
the DaPonte String Quartet at Merrill Auditorium.
Ms. Astrachan is a frequent soloist with many musical organizations,
including the Portland Symphony Orchestra, the Maine Music Society, the
Down East Singers and the Oratorio Chorale. Highlights of the past
seasons include Dvorak's Requiem, Górecki’s
Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, Haydn's Creation, Poulenc's Gloria, and Honegger's King David as well as Handel's Samson and Judas Maccabaeus. Her love for Lieder
has brought many fruitful collaborations with pianist Frank Glazer,
with whom she joined the Portland String Quartet last fall to perform
Faure's La Bonne Chanson and Chausson's Chanson Perpetuelle. In championing contemporary music Ms. Astrachan premiered Tom Myron's Kaethe Kollwitz, a work written for her and the PSQ. In spring 2005 she sang the premiere of Bruce Fithian's O Virtus Sapientiae
at the University of Southern Maine. Ms. Astrachan is also on the
faculties of Bates and Bowdoin Colleges and teaches privately in
Portland, where she lives with her husband and their young twin sons.
.
Contact:
Christina Astrachan
University of Southern Maine School
of Music
37 College Avenue
Gorham, ME 04038
207-780-5265