Katie Van Kooten
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Katie Van Kooten is a Biola alumna (2001) who got her Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance. She studied voice with Dr. Jeanne Robison and performed her first opera roles in Lansing Auditorium at Biola, including Susanna in Mozart's Marriage of Figaro, The Queen of the Night in Mozart's The Magic Flute, and various other roles in Biola's Opera scene program. Also while at Biola, Van Kooten was a student in the Torrey Honors Institute and is a perpetual member of the program. Following her graduation from Biola, she studied music at Guildhall School of Music in London, England and performed in many Convent Garden Opera House productions.
Following are some news articles about her opera career:
Katie Van Kooten Debuts "Faust" with Metropolitan Opera
June 30, 2008
Alumna Katie Van Kooten (B.M. 2001) made her US Opera debut singing the role of Marguerite in "Faust" with the Metropolitan Opera. The New York Times review called her performance as Marguerite "dramatically convincing," and said her voice was a "warm, gracefully expressive soprano."
Katie made her opera debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, as Magda in "La Rondine" in November, 2004. At Covent Garden she has also sung Pamina ("Die Zauberflöte) Mimi ("La Boheme) and Marguerite ("Faust").
Last season, among other roles, she performed Aminta in Mozart's "Il Re Pastore" in the Linbury Theater and performed the Mozart Requiem with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Jurovsky. She has recently made her Japanese debut sing Micaela ("Carmen") under the direction of Ozawa.
A graduate of the Guildhall Scool of Music and Drama in London, Katie studies voice with Rudolf Piernay. She received her bachelor's degree in vocal performance from Biola, where she studied with Dr. Jeanne Robison and is a graduate and perpetual member of the Torrey Honors Institute. This season, Katie returns to Covent Garden to sing in Britten's "Midsummer Night's Dream," and will make her debut at the English National Opera as Micaela ("Carmen").
Katie Van Kooten Makes Stage Debut at the Metropolitan Opera
February 24, 2009
"On the evening of February 23, 2009, alumna Katie Van Kooten (B.M. 2001) replaced Angela Gheorghiu, in the role of Magda, in the evening performance of Puccini's "La Rondine" at the Metropolitan Opera. Katie, hired as Ms. Georghiu's understudy for the production, had previously debuted at Covent Garden and Paris Opera in the same role. A former member of the Royal Opera's young artists program, she has also sung Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Mimi in La Bohéme, Marguerite in Faust, and Antonia in Les Contes d'Hoffmann. In June 2007, she sang the role of Marguerite as part of the Met in the Parks concert series. She recently made her Houston Grand Opera debut as Helena in Britten's Midsummer Night's Dream."