Biography
Described as, "enthralling" (Opera News, 2009), Nancy Allen Lundy will make her debut this season at Teatro alla Scala (Milan) in a reprisal of Alexander Raskatov's A Dog's Heart. Ms. Lundy has earned critical acclaim for her unique vocal beauty, skillful musicianship and theatrical prowess in a variety of classical and contemporary styles. Engagements with opera companies and festivals include English National Opera, Netherlands Opera, New York City Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Washington Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Hawaii Opera Theater, Minnesota Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Portland Opera, Spoleto, USA, Teatro Municipal de Santiago (Chile), Bregenzer Festspiele (Austria), Festival Euro Mediterraneo (Rome), and Suntory Hall (Tokyo). Her operatic repertoire encompasses more than thirty roles, of which she has earned particular acclaim for her portrayals of Curley's Wife in Of Mice and Men, Gilda in Rigoletto, Musetta in La Bohème, Ann Trulove in The Rake's Progress, Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier, the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and Cunegonde in Candide.
Oscar-winning composer Tan Dun began writing for Ms. Lundy following her success in his Peony Pavilion, directed by Peter Sellars at London's Barbican Center with subsequent performances in Rome and Paris. With her skills in mind, Tan Dun scored the role of Juliet in his Orchestral Theater IV: The Gate, which she premiered with the NHK Symphony Orchestra (Tokyo). She has sung The Gate and Orchestral Theater III: Red Forecast with the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, London's BBC Symphony Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, as well with orchestras in Lyon, Paris, Shanghai, Lisbon, Sapporo (Pacific Music Festival), and New York (Brooklyn Academy of Music). 2002 saw the world premiere in Tokyo of Tan Dun's Tea for which Ms. Lundy created the role of Lan under the direction of Pierre Audi, a production which was later reprised in Amsterdam. She has sung Tea in Stockholm and in a concert version at Teatro Carlo Felice (Genova), Lawrence Renes conducting. Other contemporary opera roles she has interpreted include Claire in the American premiere of Peter Bengtson's The Maids, Caroline Gaines in Richard Danielpour's Margaret Garner, Pat Nixon in Nixon in China, Singer #1 in Conrad Sousa's Transformations, and Water in Tan Dun's Marco Polo.
In the spring of 2010, she returned to Netherlands Opera to create the role of Zina in the world premiere of A Dog's Heart, Simon McBurney directing, with subsequent performances at English National Opera, Teatro alla Scala, and Opera de Lyon. More recently Ms. Lundy returned to Hawaii Opera as Adele in Fledermaus before returning to the Windham Festival Chamber Orchestra to sing Handel's "Let the Bright Seraphim" and Scarlatti's "Su le sponde del Tebro". Notable concert engagements have included Messiah and Strauss' Brentano Lieder with Montreal Symphony, Charles Dutoit conducting, Poulenc's Gloria with Lansing Symphony, Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with Flemish Radio Orchestra (Brussels) and also under the baton of Marin Alsop with Royal Philharmonic (Stockholm), Mendelssohn's Elias with Duisburg Philharmonic, Bruno Weil conducting, and Villa-Lobos' Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 in Taipei, and also with the Richmond Symphony and Perspectives Ensemble. The demand for her portrayal of the soprano role in Carmina Burana led her to performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Phoenix Symphony, NHK Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra (Taiwan), and Montreal Symphony at Carnegie Hall.
Ms. Lundy also sang Lan in Tea with Vancouver Opera and Water in Marco Polo in Bergen, Norway. She returned to Phoenicia Festival of the Voice as Gilda in Rigoletto and Curley’s Wife in Susannah. Next season, she will return to Amsterdam for a revival of A Dog’s Heart and to Warsaw for Matsukaze with Sasha Waltz.