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Biography
“Kyra Folk-Farber's clear soprano sustained the title role with aplomb”
~ Rian Evans, The Guardian, June 29 2004
“The young Canadian soprano Kyra Folk-Farber turned Zaide from an illustration on a pack of Turkish Delight into a young woman glowing with ardent tenderness. …Folk-Farber seemed to throw herself utterly into the role and brought tears to the eyes of a full house.”
~ Harry Eyres, The Financial Times (London, England), August 28 2004
Soprano Kyra Folk-Farber was born and raised in Vancouver, British
Columbia.
She has performed as a soloist in such venues as Jordan Hall
in Boston, and the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver. Her versatility is highlighted in a repertoire ranging from
medieval chant to Klezmer to twenty-first century compositions.
Most recently, Kyra performed a
solo recital with pianist Mareli Stolp in the Ignatius Huis
Lunchtime Concert Series in Amsterdam. Kyra premiered
arrangements of Yiddish songs at the In the House Performing Arts
Festival with guitarist/ pianist/ composer Itamar Erez in Vancouver.
She performed Yiddish songs a cappella at Voxfest Worldbeat Festival
at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre. Among Kyra's concert
engagements last season, she sang a solo recital in Vancouver's
Jewish Performing Arts Festival, Chutzpah! 2005, at the
Norman Rothstein Theatre. She performed in A Mother's Day
Celebration concert with The Opera Project under the artistic
direction of Heidi Klassen. During the 2004-2005 season, she
sang with the acclaimed Vancouver Chamber Choir under conductor Jon
Washburn.
Kyra sang the title role in
Mozart's Zaide at the Aldeburgh Festival in England.
She portrayed the First Witch in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas
and Mabel in A Night of Gilbert and Sullivan with the New
England Conservatory Light Opera Company. She was both soloist
and member of the ensemble in J.S. Bach's B Minor Mass and
Magnificat in D, and Vivaldi's Gloria with the Vox
Consort, a Boston-based Baroque ensemble consisting of eight singers
accompanied by period instruments. Kyra performed Buxtehude's
Trio Cantata: Cantate Domino, also with original
instrumentation, in Jordan Hall. Among Kyra's performances of
new music, she sang Ned Rorem's Ariel: Five Poems of Sylvia Plath
for soprano, clarinet, and piano; she performed the premiere of
Camille Jentgen's Joy is to Life for soprano and big band in
Jordan Hall; and she premiered Daniel Blake's five-song cycle
Afternoon in Disguise for soprano and jazz ensemble. Kyra
was featured as a soloist at the Cutler Majestic Theatre in Boston,
where the Kronos Quartet and the New England Conservatory Concert
Choir collaborated to premiere Terry Riley's Sun Rings.
Kyra currently resides in
Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where she receives coaching from soprano
Barbara Hannigan. Kyra's vocal teacher in Vancouver is Heidi
Klassen. Upcoming engagements including participation in the
Nederlands Kamerkoor's Johannes Passion at Amsterdam's famous
Concertgebouw.
Kyra has coached with Paul
McCreesh, Anne Murray, Jacquelyn Short, and Leslie Dala; she has
performed in masterclasses by Stuart Hamilton, Ellen Hargis, and
Michael Cavanagh; and she has sung under the direction of conductors
Simon Carrington, Bruce Pullan, and F. John Adams. Former
vocal teachers include Sylvia Cavanagh (deceased) and Anna Relyea.
Kyra's recital programs consistently include folk music in a
classically composed format. She has been featured in several
performances of the New England Conservatory's Jewish Music Ensemble
under the direction of Hankus Netsky. Kyra completed her
Bachelor's degree in vocal performance from the New England
Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Edward Zambara on a
scholarship.
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