Misty leah bermudez, mezzo-soprano

MISTY LEAH BERMUDEZ, mezzo-soprano

www.mistyleahbermudez.com
Highly sought after as both a soloist and chamber artist, Mezzo-soprano Misty Leah Bermudez has captivated critics and audiences alike with her "ravishing" voice and "compelling" concert performances. Residents of South Florida will recognize Ms. Bermudez as a founding and current member of the critically acclaimed vocal ensemble Seraphic Fire.
A versatile vocalist, Ms. Bermudez has an active career as a concert soloist, chamber artist and operatic actress. Solo concert engagements have included performances with The Miami Oratorio Society, The FIU Master Chorale, Amici dellArte, The Hispanic American Lyric Theatre, The Masterworks Chorale of West Palm Beach, The Vero Beach Choral Society, The Hollywood Philharmonic Orchestra, The Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra, the Master Chorale of South Florida, and The New World Symphony under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas, in such works as Mendelssohns Elijah, Duruflé's Requiem, Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, Monteverdi's Vespers, Handel's Messiah, Bach's Mass in B Minor, Mozart's Requiem, and Bach's St. John Passion. No stranger to the stage, Ms. Bermudez has been featured in numerous operatic offerings throughout South Florida, including stagings of Purcell, Handel, Mozart, Donizetti, and Gilbert and Sullivan. As a chamber artist, Ms. Bermudez has performed, recorded and toured extensively with Miami's renowned ensemble Seraphic Fire, and has recently sung with the Grammy-nominated ensemble Conspirare, under the direction of Craig Hella-Johnson.
Mrs. Bermudez's solo engagements for the 2011-2012 concert season include Bach's Magnificat with the Master Choral of South Florida and the Miami Symphony Orchestra, Handel's Messiah with the San Antonio Symphony, and Bach's Mass in B Minor with Seraphic Fire and the Firebird Chamber Orchestra. In June of 2012, she will serve for a second year as a Master Teacher for the participants of the Professional Choral Institute in Tampa, FL, an initiative by Seraphic Fire and the University of South Florida which aims to usher talented pre-professional singers into the world of professional choral music.
Currently, Mrs. Bermudez resides in South Miami with her husband, guitarist and composer Alvaro Bermudez, and their two children. She is the Director of Music at St. Katharine Drexel Catholic Church in Weston, FL, and also maintains an active private voice studio. Ms. Bermudez graduated Magna Cum Laude from Florida International University with a Bachelor of Science in Music Education and holds the Master of Music Degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Miami, where she was a Smathers Fellowship recipient. Mrs. Bermudez received awards of Excellence in Academic Achievement in Music from both institutions.
REVIEWS
“Mezzo Misty Bermudez gave a masterful, somber-colored rendition of Es is vollbracht.”

-Greg Stepanich, Palm Beach Arts Paper

(Bach’s St. John Passion, Seraphic Fire, March 2011)
"The richness and depth of Misty Bermudez's Thou art gone up on high soared in emphatic, passionate tones."

-Lawrence Budman, South Florida Classical Review

(Handel's Messiah, Seraphic Fire, December 2010)
“The mezzo-soprano Misty Leah Bermudez gave a vigorous, expressively sung Spanish solo in Ríu ríu chíu by the Renaissance composer Mateo Flecha.”

-David Fleshler, The Miami Herald

(A Candlelit Christmas, Seraphic Fire, December 2010)
"Bermudez, a familiar feature at Seraphic Fire concerts, has a lovely dark coloring to her voice that was especially compelling here."

-Greg Stepanich, Palm Beach Arts Paper

(Mozart's Requiem, Master Chorale of South Florida, April 2010)
"Misty Bermudez gave dark sweetness to Handel's Ombra mai fu."

-Greg Stepanich, Palm Beach Post

(Music For Kings, Seraphic Fire, May 2008)
"Misty Bermudez's ravishing mezzo embraced the noble melody of Ombra mai fu."

-Lawrence Budman South Florida Sun-Sentinel

(Music For Kings, Seraphic Fire, May 2008)
"Misty Leah Bermudez's Sorceress, all evil smiles and insinuating tones, was a comically sinister villain."

-David Fleshler, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

(Dido and Aeneas, Seraphic Fire, October 2007)
"Bermudez negotiated the tortuous leaps and wide range with great finesse and attentive word-painting. Throughout the cycle the mezzo precisely etched the elliptical emotions and fleeting joys and torments, from operatic desperation to psychic dislocation."

-Lawrence A Johnson, The Miami Herald

(Schoenberg's Cabaret Songs and The Book of the Hanging Gardens, Solo Vocal Recital, December 2006)
"Misty Bermudez brought fine spiritual expression to the Agnus Dei."

-Lawrence A. Johnson, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

(J. S. Bach's Mass in B Minor, Seraphic Fire, May 2004)

EXPERIENCE
2011 – 2012 SOLO ENGAGEMENTS

Magnificat, Bach Master Chorale of South Florida Miami & Ft. Laud., FL, November 2011

Messiah, Handel San Antonio Symphony San Antonio, TX, December 2011

Coronation Mass, Mozart Southwest Florida Symphony Cape Coral, FL, January 2012

Mass in B Minor, Bach Seraphic Fire & Firebird Orchestra Miami & Ft. Lauderdale, FL, February 2012

Keep the Music Alive Opera Gala Seraphic Fire Miami Beach, FL, March 2012

Mass in B Minor, Bach Spire Chamber Ensemble Kansas City, MO, April 2012
PAST SOLO CONCERT ENGAGEMENTS:

Stabat Mater, Karl Jenkins Cathedral of St. Mary Arts Series Miami, FL, April 2011

Keep the Music Alive Opera Gala Seraphic Fire Miami Beach, FL April, 2011

St. John Passion, Bach Seraphic Fire & Firebird Orchestra Miami & Ft. Lauderdale, FL, March, 2011

Carmina Burana, Orff Seraphic Fire & Firebird Orchestra Miami & Ft. Lauderdale, FL January, 2011

Messiah, Handel Seraphic Fire & Firebird Orchestra Miami & Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Dec. 2010

Messiah, Handel Southwest Florida Symphony Cape Coral, FL, December, 2010

Vespers, Monteverdi, Tour Seraphic Fire Mexico City, Mexico, May 2010

Vespers, Monteverdi, Seraphic Fire Miami & Ft. Lauderdale, FL, May 2010

Requiem, Mozart Master Chorale of South Florida Miami & Ft. Lauderdale, FL, April 2010

Israel in Egypt, Handel Seraphic Fire & Firebird Orchestra Miami, Mia. Bch., & Ft. L., FL, Mar. 2010

Messiah, Handel Seraphic Fire & Firebird Orchestra Miami & Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Dec. 2009

Lord Nelson Mass, Haydn Southwest Florida Symphony Cape Coral, FL, March 2009

Vespers, Monteverdi, Tour & Recording Seraphic Fire Kalamazoo, MI, March 2009

Messiah, Handel Seraphic Fire Miami, FL, December 2008

Messiah, Handel Miami Oratorio Society Miami, FL, December 2008

Mass in G: Schubert The New World Symphony & Miami Beach, FL, March 2008

Seraphic Fire

Concert: I Dream a World Conspirare: A Company of Voices Austin, TX, February 2008

Messiah, Handel Seraphic Fire Miami, FL, December 2007

Messiah, Handel Masterworks Chorus of Palm Miami, FL, December 2006

Beach

Recital: The Book of the Hanging Gardens Seraphic Fire Young Artist Series Coral Gables, FL, December 2006

& Cabaret Songs, Schoenberg

Messiah, Handel Southwest Florida Symphony Cape Coral, FL, December, 2006

Coronation Mass, Mozart St. Thomas Episcopal Church Cape Coral, FL, 2006

Elijah, Mendelssohn Vero Beach Chorale Vero Beach, FL, 2006

Messiah, Handel Southwest Florida Symphony Cape Coral, FL, December, 2004

Mass in B Minor, Bach Seraphic Fire Miami & Ft. Lauderdale, FL, May 2004

Magnificat, Bach Miami Master Chorale Coral Gables, FL, 2003

The Ugly Duckling, Prokofiev Hollywood Philharmonic Orchestra Hollywood, FL 2003

Requiem, Durufle Seraphic Fire Coral Gables, FL, 2003

Stabat Mater, Pergolesi Seraphic Fire Coral Gables, FL, 2003

Requiem, Durufle Miami Master Chorale Coral Gables, FL, 2003
ROLES PERFORMED:

The Sorceress Dido and Aeneas, Purcell Seraphic Fire 2007

Katisha The Mikado, Gilbert & Sullivan University of Miami Opera Theatre 2004

Giannetta L’Elisir d’Amore, Donizetti Amici dell’Arte, Miami FL 2004

Third Lady The Magic Flute, Mozart University of Miami Opera Theatre 2003

Narciso Agrippina, Handel Florida Int’l University Opera Theatre 2002

EDUCATION:

2002—2004 University of Miami, Master of Music in Vocal Performance

1997—2000 Florida International University, Bachelor of Science in Music Education, magna cum laude

1994—1996 Florida State University, studies in Vocal Performance