Courtney Huffman Frye
Biography
Recognized as a singer of exceptional artistry and versatility, soprano Courtney Huffman is a captivating and inspiring artist who is making waves in the professional musical world. After taking First Place in the coveted NATS Artist Award Competition in Nashville, Tennessee, Ms. Huffman made her New York solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall. She also performed a winner’s recital at the 51stNATS National Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah.
At Long Beach Opera’s U.S. Premiere of Vivaldi’s Motezuma, Mark Swed with the LA Times wrote, “Teutile… brilliantly sung by a young soprano, Courtney Huffman, just entering the professional arena, is treated as a supercilious young starlet...She sings and steals the stage...I hope opera talent scouts were on hand." Ms. Huffman joined the Center of Contemporary Opera in Avignon, France to perform the role of Lady Isabel in Michael Dellaira’s opera The Secret Agent. Additionally, Huffman has appeared in over two-dozen operas and opera scenes with the Center for Contemporary Opera, Intimate Opera Company, Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra, and the Aspen Opera Theater. Her stage credits include Yadwiga in Ben Moore’s Enemies, A Love Story, Violetta in La Traviata, Betty in Lowell Liebermann’s Miss Lonelyhearts, Frasquita in Carmen, and Zerlina in Don Giovanni.
An equally accomplished concert artist, Ms. Huffman has been a featured soloist with Boston Baroque, performing the role of Amor in a semi-staged version of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, and appearing as the soprano soloist in Bach’s Wedding Cantata and Coffee Cantata. This June she made her Peoria Bach Festival debut as the soprano soloist in Handel’s Samsonand Bach’s Cantata No. 187 and Cantata No. 172. Ms. Huffman’s love for recital work has taken her all over the world, includinga ten-day concert tour throughout Southern China, covering a vast spectrum of music from opera arias to Chinese folk songs. While on faculty at Gordon College and Bradley University, she has been a frequent performer on the Faculty Artist Seriesand has presented works by a variety of composers with her fellow colleagues. Ms. Huffman has also been a soloist with the Peoria Municipal Band, The Symphonic Winds at Bradley University, High Desert Chamber Music Series, Andover Chamber Music Series, First Church Nashua Concert Series, Centrum’s Port Townsend Chamber Music Festival, Masterworks Chorale’s Summer Sings, Classical Music Series’ Live at the Lounge, New York City’s Orchestra Insonicaand the Sunriver Music Festival Orchestra in Sunriver, OR, under the baton of Maestro Lawrence Smith.
Ms. Huffman’s passion for contemporary music has given her the opportunity to work with many distinguished composers such as Alan Chan, Lori Laitman, Ben Moore, Timothy Takach, and Marc-André Dalbavie. She has performed several World Premieres, including the title role in David Getz’s Ruth: The Musical, the solo adaptation of Timothy Takach’s Where Beauty Comes From, and Alan Chan’s song cycle Queen Sonnets. At the Aspen Music Festival, Huffman performed Dalbavie’s Sextine Cycluswith the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble. She was invited by National Public Radio to record the piece at the Harris Concert Hall for a nation-wide broadcast. Ms. Huffman returned to Aspen the following year, performing the U.S. Premiere of Oder Soll Es Tod Bedeuten?, a song cycle for soprano and strings by contemporary composer Aribert Reimann.
A native of Bend, Oregon, Huffman holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), and a Master of Music degree from the University of Southern California (USC) Thornton School of Music. Ms. Huffman is passionate about teaching the next generation of singing actors and currently serves on the voice faculty of Bradley University in Peoria, IL.