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The American soprano and voice instructor, Courtney Huffman Frye, obtained her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), and her Master of Music degree from the University of Southern California (USC) Thornton School of Music.
Recognized as a singer of exceptional artistry and versatility, Courtney Huffman is a captivating and inspiring artist who is making waves in the professional musical world. After taking First Place in the coveted NATS Artist Award Competition in Nashville, Tennessee, she made her New York solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall. She also performed a winner’s recital at the 51st NATS National Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah.
At Long Beach Opera’s USA Premiere of Antonio Vivaldi's Motezuma, Mark Swed with the LA Times wrote, “Teutile… brilliantly sung by a young soprano, Courtney Huffman, just entering the professional arena, is treated as a supercilious young starlet...She sings and steals the stage...I hope opera talent scouts were on hand." She joined the Center of Contemporary Opera in Avignon, France to perform the role of Lady Isabel in Michael Dellaira’s opera The Secret Agent. Additionally, she has appeared in over two-dozen operas and opera scenes with the Center for Contemporary Opera, Intimate Opera Company, Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra, and the Aspen Opera Theater. Her stage credits include Yadwiga in Ben Moore’s Enemies, A Love Story, Violetta in La Traviata, Betty in Lowell Liebermann’s Miss Lonelyhearts, Frasquita in Georges Bizet's Carmen, and Zerlina in W.A. Mozart's Don Giovanni.
An equally accomplished concert artist, Courtney Huffman has been a featured soloist with Boston Baroque (Director: Martin Pearlman), performing the role of Amor in a semi-staged version of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, and appearing as the soprano soloist in J.S. Bach's Wedding Cantata (BWV 209) and Coffee Cantata (BWV 211). In June 2019, she made her Peoria Bach Festival debut as the soprano soloist in George Frideric Handel's Samson and Silete venti and J.S. Bach's Cantata BWV 187 and Cantata BWV 172. Her love for recital work has taken her all over the world, includinga ten-day concert tour throughout Southern China, covering a vast spectrum of music from opera arias to Chinese folk songs. While on faculty at Gordon College and Bradley University, she has been a frequent performer on the Faculty Artist Series and has presented works by a variety of composers with her fellow colleagues. She has also been a soloist with the Peoria Municipal Band, The Symphonic Winds at Bradley University, Colorado Bach Ensemble, High Desert Chamber Music Series, Andover Chamber Music Series, First Church Nashua Concert Series, Centrum’s Port Townsend Chamber Music Festival, Masterworks Chorale’s Summer Sings, Classical Music Series’ Live at the Lounge, New York City’s Orchestra Insonica and the Sunriver Music Festival Orchestra in Sunriver, Oregon, under the baton of Maestro Lawrence Smith.
Courtney Huffman's passion for contemporary music has given her the opportunity to work with many distinguished composers such as Alan Chan, Lori Laitman, Ben Moore, Timothy Takach, and Marc-André Dalbavie. She has performed several World Premieres, including the title role in David Getz's Ruth: The Musical, the solo adaptation of Timothy Takach’s Where Beauty Comes From, and Alan Chan’s song cycle Queen Sonnets. At the Aspen Music Festival, she performed Marc-André Dalbavie’s Sextine Cyclus with the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble. She was invited by National Public Radio to record the piece at the Harris Concert Hall for a nation-wide broadcast. She returned to Aspen the following year, performing the USA Premiere of Oder Soll Es Tod Bedeuten?, a song cycle for soprano and strings by contemporary composer Aribert Reimann.
Courtney Huffman is passionate about teaching the next generation of singing actors. She taught voice at Gordon College in Boston from 2013 to 2017 and currently serves on the voice faculty of Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. She is married to Jared Frye and currently lives in Metamora, Illinois. |
