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Alice Coote

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Alice Coote in Carmen in 2007, ENO

Alice Coote OBE (born 10 May 1968)[1][2] is a British mezzo-soprano. Known internationally for her performances in opera playing both female and male roles,[3] and her recitals with piano and concerts with orchestra, Coote has performed extensively across Europe, North America and Asia. Her repertoire ranges from early and baroque music to contemporary works, and includes works which have been especially written for her.[4] She was appointed OBE in the 2018 Birthday honours for services to music.[5]

Life

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Coote was born in Frodsham, Cheshire, the daughter of the painter Mark Coote.[2] She was educated at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London (though she did not complete her course), the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester (where she came into contact with Janet Baker and Brigitte Fassbaender[citation needed]) and the National Opera Studio during 1995/96.[6] Coote was a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist from 2001 until 2003. She sings both operatic roles, particularly trouser roles, and recital repertoire, often with pianist Julius Drake.

An interpreter of Handel[7] she has also performed contemporary pieces such as Dominick Argento's From the Diary of Virginia Woolf, a partly atonal work first performed by Janet Baker, who influenced Coote.[8] Judith Weir has written a song cycle, The Voice of Desire, especially for her; it was premiered at a BBC Chamber Prom.

Coote has performed at England's Opera North, the English National Opera, the Metropolitan Opera in New York (Hansel in Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel), the San Francisco Opera in 2002 (Ruggiero in Handel's Alcina) and 2008 (Idamante in Mozart's Idomeneo).[9] In 2009, she appeared as Maffio Orsini in Donizetti's Lucrezia Borgia at the Bavarian State Opera. She also performed in 2011 as Prince Charming in Massenet's Cendrillon at the Royal Opera House. In 2013, she played Sextus in the Metropolitan Opera's production of Handel's Giulio Cesare. In March 2017 she reprised the role of Idamante in six performances at the Metropolitan Opera.[10]

Recordings

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References

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  1. ^ "Overview - Alice Coote (b.1968)". Oxford Reference. Oxford University Press. 2011. Archived from the original on 6 February 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  2. ^ a b Barnett, Laura (16 August 2010). "Portrait of the artist: Alice Coote, mezzo-soprano". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  3. ^ "Alice Coote - You can't keep a good woman down". The Independent. 23 June 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  4. ^ "The Voice of Desire | Judith Weir". www.wisemusicclassical.com. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  5. ^ "Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Simon Keenlyside and Classic FM's Composer in Residence Debbie Wiseman recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours". Classic FM. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  6. ^ Walker, Lynne (26 July 2005). "Alice Coote: Against all odds". The Independent. Archived from the original on 15 March 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  7. ^ Kimberley, Nick (28 July 2002). "Alice Coote: 'Nothing touches people more than the human voice, unadorned'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 16 March 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  8. ^ Rafferty, Sean (11 February 2010). "Transcript of interview of Alice Coote and Julius Drake". juliusdrake.info (former Julius Drake website). In Tune, BBC Radio 3. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011.
  9. ^ Ulrich, Allan (1 April 2010). "Opera's Alice Coote on trousers, English songs". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 29 June 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  10. ^ Tommasini, Anthony (7 March 2017). "Mozart's 'Idomeneo' Shows the Met Opera at Its Best". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 8 March 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
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