Biography

After receiving her Master of Music from the University of Illinois, Ms. Val-Schmidt was one of 20 young singers chosen (from over 300 applicants) to participate in the Maria Callas Master Classes. She also sang leading roles at The Juilliard School and went on to win national and international vocal competitions.

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Ms. Val-Schmidt made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera as The Danish Lady in the American Premiere of Benjamin Britten’s Death in Venice.  She created the role of Augusta Leigh in the world premiere of Lord Byron, by Virgil Thomson, and sang Medora to Carlo Bergonzi's Corrado in Verdi's Il Corsaro.  Other roles include Mimi, Gilda, Madama Butterfly, Donna Anna, Poppea, Marenka, Lucy, Fiordiligi, and First Lady.

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She has traveled throughout the U.S. performing operas, concerts, musical theater national tours, creative recitals and cabarets, performing in 12 languages. She has thrilled audiences with the beauty of her voice, the finesse of her dramatic instincts and her gifts as a compelling storyteller.

 

Ms. Val-Schmidt’s experiences as a pedagogue include being named Chair of the Voice Dept. at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music and serving as adjunct faculty at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She has presented masterclasses to universities and schools across the nation, been a faculty member at various public and community music schools, and served as a judge of regional auditions for the Metropolitan Opera.

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Among other accomplishments, Ms. Val-Schmidt is also a published composer and poet, and has performed as the narrator in Peter and the Wolf and Tubby the Tuba for the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra.  She is currently on board for Mission Opera, a new company in Southern California.

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