Acclaimed American sopranos Elizabeth Futral and Tony Arnold and tenor William Burden will join the artist-faculty of the Peabody Conservatory’s renowned Voice Department beginning in the fall semester of the 2017-18 academic year. The three vocalists are among a slate of new faculty announced in recent weeks as Peabody prepares to roll out its new Breakthrough Curriculum this fall.
“We are thrilled to augment our stellar Peabody faculty with musicians of this caliber,” notes Senior Associate Dean for Institute Studies Abra Bush. “With their amazing breadth and depth of talent and expertise, these artists will play a vital role in our new model for training 21st century musicians, and we look forward to welcoming them to Peabody.”
Elizabeth Futral is one of the world’s leading sopranos. With her stunning vocalism and vast dramatic range, she has embraced a repertoire that ranges from the Baroque to world premieres. She has collaborated with the great conductors of our time, including Zubin Mehta, Claudio Abbado, Sir Colin Davis, Daniel Barenboim, Sir Charles Mackerras, Loren Maazel, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Sir Neville Marriner. She has been acclaimed for her performances in the world’s leading opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden, Deutsche Oper Berlin, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Theatre an der Wien. Ms. Futral has appeared with the Berlin Philharmonic, London Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, London Philharmonic, Hannover Band, Boston Symphony, Munich Radio Orchestra, and many others. She is currently an assistant professor at the University of Arizona’s Fred Fox School of Music.
Soprano Tony Arnold has been called “a luminary in the world of chamber music and art song” (Huffington Post) and hailed by The New York Times as “a bold, powerful interpreter.” She is internationally acclaimed as a leading proponent of contemporary music, having premiered hundreds of works by established and emerging composers. With more than 30 recordings to her credit, Tony Arnold has garnered awards and honors including first prize in the 2001 Gaudeamus International Competition, the 2001 Louise D. McMahon Competition, a 2006 Grammy nomination, and the 2015 Brandeis Creative Arts Award. She has worked on a sustained basis with young composers and performers, sparking new musical ideas and fostering collaboration with succeeding generations. She has performed, lectured, and given master classes in over 50 universities worldwide, including serving as the 2015-16 Kunkenmueller Artist in Residence at the Boston Conservatory, and this summer joins the vocal arts faculty of the venerable Tanglewood Music Center.
American tenor William Burden has won an outstanding reputation in a wide-ranging repertoire throughout Europe and North America. He has appeared in prestigious opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Teatro all Scala, and the Opera National de Paris; and his many roles include the title roles of The Contes d’Hoffmann, Faust, Pélleas et Mélisande, The Rake’s Progress, Roméo et Juliette, Béatrice and Bénédict, Candide, and Acis and Galatea. A supporter of new works, he has created numerous roles including that of Niklas Sprink in Peabody faculty composer Kevin Puts’ Pulitzer Prize-winning Silent Night at the Minnesota Opera. He has appeared in concert with the Symphony Orchestras of Chicago, Atlanta, and Philadelphia, among others, and his recording credits include Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony. Since the fall of 2015, Mr. Burden has served on the faculty at the Mannes School of Music.
The Peabody Conservatory has also recently announced the addition of clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein, oboist Nicholas Stovall, and tuba player Seth Horner to its faculty.
The Peabody Institute Breakthrough Curriculum in Music Leadership builds on Peabody’s historical excellence in studio teaching by integrating new core training in musical flexibility; leadership; citizen artistry; and communications, marketing, and career skills into every student’s education.
