SIGNE MORTENSEN
B i o g r a p h y
Praised by the Seattle P.I. as having "shone...using her face and body to convey multiple emotions." Signe Mortensen delights her audiences with "solid, committed performances". Committing herself fully to each role, Ms. Mortensen commands equally an emotionally nuanced performance as well as the vocal prowess to execute musical excellence
Currently residing in New York City, Ms Mortensen recently premiered John Duffy’s We Want Mark Twain at Symphony Space in New York City with the Cassatt Quartet (also recorded on Albany Records).
Ms. Mortensen finds a special draw towards new works and performed as Resident Soprano for many years at the John Duffy Composer’s Institute at the Virginia Arts Festival under the music direction of Alan Johnson and the stage direction of Rhoda Levine. Virginia Public Radio has described her performance as having “the power and skill to make every word count…with faultless diction and clever acting [Mortensen] conveyed every emotional nuance of the music.”
"...Mortensen's voice easily stole the show…Her purity of tone and impressive vocal range stood out among cast members...” - Everett Herald
With a strong passion for community work and healing through music, Ms. Mortensen has worked as a collaborator and creator for Alt for Norge, a series of benefit concerts performed across the East Coast to raise funds for the tragedy on Utoeya, Norway. Past benefit concerts include Songs of Hope and Inspiration following the 9/11 Tragedy, Opera Rescue for Tsunami Relief, and Opera Rescue for Hurricane Katrina.
Performances include Pamina in Magic Flute, Musetta in La Boheme, Micaela in Carmen, Ann in Merry Wives of Windsor, Juliette in The Count of Luxemburg, Adele in Die Fledermaus, Gretel in Hansel and Gretel Anna in Seven Deadly Sins, Yum-Yum in Mikado, Sylva Varescu in The Gypsy Princess, Maria in West Side Story, and Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls. She has worked with Seattle Opera, Tacoma Opera, Tri-Cities Opera, Cassatt Quartet, Skagit Opera, the Virginia Arts Festival, Bellevue Opera, and the Cascade Music Festival.
Ms. Mortensen was honored as a regional finalist by the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 2004 and given an incentive award in 2003. Other awards include the Alan Lund Scholarship in 2003 and the Tri-Cities Opera Guild awards in 2001 and 2002. She received a Masters in Opera Performance at SUNY-Binghamton and was a Resident Artist of the Tri-Cities Opera in Binghamton.