Mezzo soprano Kara Dugan has been praised by The New York Times for her “vocal warmth and rich character.” Her diverse career ranges from world premieres, to baroque concert work, to cross-genre performances and art song recitals. Her work with living composers has included the world premiere of Michael Tilson Thomas’ Four Preludes on Playthings of the Wind, a production of John Musto’s opera Bastianello at Festival Napa Valley with the composer at the piano, and a workshop performance of Ricky Ian Gordon’s Intimate Apparel as part of the Metropolitan Opera and Lincoln Center Theater’s New New Works Program. This season she made her debut with the Albany Symphony performing Michael Daugherty’s multi-genre tribute to Woody Guthrie, This Land Sings. Her work as a baroque concert soloist includes three international tours with Juilliard415 and conductors Ton Koopman, Masaaki Suzuki, and Nicholas McGegan, culminating in a performance as the Soprano II soloist in Bach’s Mass in B minor at the Boston Early Music Festival. Operatic highlights include Cherubino in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro and Zaida in Rossini’s Il Turco in Italia. As a passionate recitalist she performs often with her husband Peter Dugan, pianist and host of NPR’s From the Top. The husband and wife duo were recently featured on PBS Great Performances’ “Now Hear This” and have performed across the United States, including at the Charles Ives Concert Series, Moab Music Festival, and Portland Chamber Music Festival. Ms. Dugan received her Bachelor and Master of Music Degrees from The Juilliard School.