ARLENE TRAVIS, Soprano, Artist-in-Residence, is a versatile performer who has appeared as both an ensemble member and soloist with many of New York’s leading professional ensembles including the New York Philharmonic, the American Classical Orchestra, Amor Artis, Musica Sacra, Voices of Ascension, Philharmonia Virtuosi, the Gregg Smith Singers, the New York Concert Singers, and others. A frequent concert and oratorio soloist, her past appearances include Messiah at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine with the American Classical Orchestra in New York City, Haydn’s Mass in the Time of War with the North Shore Chamber Chorale, a series of performances of rarely heard Telemann sacred cantatas at Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church in New York City, a concert of French Baroque solo cantatas with Concert Royal, Poulenc’s Gloria with the Brooklyn Conservatory Chorale, and Carmina Burana with the Long Island Choral Society.

Specializing in music of the Baroque, she has presented many concerts with her period instrument ensemble, focusing on rarely performed works by major Baroque composers, such as Marc Antoine Charpentier, Telemann, Clérambault, Stradella and others. Recent programs include Telemania; a concert of rarely performed, humorous vocal music by Telemann, and Sex and the City in 17 Century Venice; th a concert about the life and times of 17th century Venetian composer Barbara Strozzi.

A frequent performer of 20th (and 21st) century music, Ms. Travis recently participated in a performance of Grygori Ligeti’s Clocks and Clouds with the New York Philharmonic, and recently performed Ned Rorem’s Ariel songs at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.

She has studied at the Longy School of Music’s International Baroque Learning Institute with the Tafelmusik Baroque program, at the Seattle Academy of Opera and at the Vancouver Early Music Festival. Her singing has been described as “effortlessly flowing and shapely” by the Irish Times, and performances of Mozart’s Coronation Mass were favorably received in 2005 by the London press.

Recordings include a critically acclaimed solo appearance in Mary Jane Leach's Call of the Dance on New World Records, solo appearances in Purcell's Dido and Aneas on Vox Label, and in Stradella's Esuele della Sfere on the same label. Other recordings are for BMG, New World, Leonarda, XI and Delos. A past winner of the Carmel Bach Festival Adams Vocal Fellow Competition, Ms. Travis has been a fellow of the Bach Aria Group, and was a finalist in the Musica Sacra Bach Competition.