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Courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera
“Kamensek is experienced in Glass’s operas, and under her the orchestra sounded right at home. There was an excellent balance of instrumental colors—and with the singers—and the playing had focus and equipoise, the kind of warmth one can feel, and it flowed and built a profoundly affecting momentum while always held with a light and certain grip.” – New York Classical Review, 2019
About Karen
Grammy Award-winning conductor Karen Kamensek’s expansive artistry coupled with her deep commitment for championing composers of the 20th and 21st century is reflected in her work in both the opera house and on the concert stage. The 2024/25 season underscores her remarkable versatility as a musician, as she makes several important debuts, including productions of La Bohème at the Houston Grand Opera and Candide and at Semperoper Dresden, alongside symphonic debuts with the Baltimore Symphony, the Kraków Philharmonic, and the Edmonton Symphony. Elsewhere this season she will return to the San Francisco Opera with The Handmaid’s Tale, to the Metropolitan Opera with Moby Dick, and to the Kuopio Symphony Orchestra for a joint project with the Arctic Philharmonic.
Frequently in demand as a guest conductor with many of today’s most prominent opera companies, Ms. Kamensek’s recent opera highlights include her performances at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in Puccini´s Tosca; the English National Opera in Glass’ Akhnaten and Satyagraha; Welsh National Opera in Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking and Bernstein’s Candide; the Metropolitan Opera in Glass’ Akhnaten and Verdi’s Rigoletto; the Lyric Opera of Chicago in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte; the Royal Swedish Opera in Victoria Borisova-Ollas’ Dracula”; the Opéra National du Rhin in the world premiere of Glass’ ballet Alice choreographed by Amir Hosseinpour and Johnathan Lunn; and in Bernstein’s Wonderful Town with the Norwegian Opera & Ballet.
Upcoming Performances
Sept. 14 - Oct. 1, 2024
San Francisco Opera
War Memorial Opera House (San Francisco, CA)
Offred, Irene Roberts
Serena Joy, Lindsay Ammann
Aunt Lydia, Sarah Cambidge
The Commander, John Relyea
Offred Double, Simone McIntosh
Luke, Christopher Oglesby
Nick, Brenton Ryan
Janine / Ofwarren, Katrina Galka
Offred’s Mother, Gabrielle Beteag
Rita, Sara Couden
Doctor, Matthew DiBattista
Karen Kamensek, conductor
“...Karen Kamensek’s authoritative conducting of the Met orchestra...From the start of the overture, the score bathed the ear in textured sound that conveyed, in its gently shifting luminosity, something of the distance of the archaic.”
The Washington Post, 2019
"Kamensek…deservedly earning the biggest applause of the night during the final curtain.”
Opera Wire, 2019
“...conductor Karen Kamensek weaves everything into a wonderful, ever shifting tapestry of sound.”
Bachtrack, 2016
“Keeping it all under a tight rein was conductor Karen Kamensek, making a most laudable ENO debut. The orchestra clearly found her direction stimulating, as they were on top form throughout.”
Seen and Heard International, 2016
Ms. Kamensek talks with Operabiz Podcast host Daniel Welch about making her Metropolitan Opera conducting debut this season, her road to conducting, her collaboration with Philip Glass, and a largely European career. She shares her insights on Glass' music as well as a fresh perspective on life on the podium.
Images
Photo Credit: Todd Rosenberg
Courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera
Photo Credit: Todd Rosenberg
Courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera
Photo Credit: Todd Rosenberg
Photo Credit: Benno Hunziker
Photo Credit: Yossi Zwecker
Photo Credit: Todd Rosenberg
Photo Credit: Benno Hunziker
Photo Credit: Denise Biffar
Contact
For booking information, please contact:
ARSIS Artist Management GmbH
in collaboration with Michael Lewin International
Mag. Gabriele Fauchet
Managing Director
+ 43 699 1075 4898
Kramergasse 9/3, 1010 Vienna, Austria
For public relations inquiries, please contact:
Raechel Alexander
RA Communications