BIOGRAPHY
Catherine Gispert, a Cuban-American soprano originally from Miami, FL, has been heralded by South Florida Classical Review as a "high soprano" to watch.
Ms. Gispert recently returned to Opera Grand Rapids as Kate Pinkerton in Mo Zhou’s production of Madama Butterfly. In this upcoming season, she will be performing in the US premiere of The Casserole as Anna, and as Elizabeth "Baby" Doe in The Ballad of Baby Doe, both with West Michigan Opera Project. Previous operatic roles include Susannah in Carlisle Floyd's Susannah with University of Michigan; Elsie Maynard in West Michigan Savoyard’s The Yeomen of the Guard; Zerlina in Don Giovanni with Music on Site, Inc., University of Michigan, and Saluzzo Opera Academy; Second Lady in Metauro Opera’s Die Zauberflöte; Annina in Opera Grand Rapids' La Traviata; Paní Pásková and a Slípka (Hen) in University of Michigan's The Cunning Little Vixen; both Ida and Frosch in Berlin Opera Academy's Die Fledermaus; Zo-Zo in Riuniti Opera's The Merry Widow; Guillaume in Miami Music Festival's La chanson de Fortunio; and la Zia in Madama Butterfly, una Novizia in Suor Angelica, and un Pastore in Tosca all with Miami Lyric Opera. She also performed in the US premiere of Aran O'Grady and Kaitlin Sullivan's chamber opera Eintänzer.
A lover of sacred music and recital work, Ms. Gispert has performed as a soprano soloist with Second Avenue Jewish Chorale, Nova Singers, and Fountain Street Church, and as a cantor in churches throughout the United States. Previously, she has sung as Soprano Soloist with Fountain Street Church Oratorio Choir for their Memorial Concert, singing solos in Vaughan Williams’ “Serenade to Music” and Jake Runestad’s “The Hope of Loving”; the Bach Chorale of Grand Rapids for their Concertato Michigan concert, singing “Domine Deus, Agnus Dei” from Poulenc’s Gloria, and Calvin Community Symphony for their Spring Concert, singing “Libiamo ne' lieti calici” from Verdi’s La traviata, “O soave fanciulla” from Puccini’s La bohème, and “Make Our Garden Grow” from Bernstein’s Candide. Other soloist performances include Mozart’s Requiem and Bernstein’s MASS with Fountain Street Church Oratorio Choir, the West Michigan Opera Project for their Concert Outreach series, and in “300 Years of Oratorio: In Recital,” with tenor Stanford Olsen performing “Lacrimosa” from Britten’s War Requiem. She is looking forward to her fifth solo recital, “Dedication,” which will focus heavily on the music of Latin American composers.
An Encouragement Award winner from Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, she has been a Third Prize winner in the Federazione Musicale Internazionale’s 7th Concorso Internazionale di Canto Lirico, a two-time Semi-finalist in the American International Czech and Slovak Voice Competition, Opera Grand Rapids’ 2020 Betty Van Andel Scholarship Winner, and Graduate Encouragement Award winner from the Sam Vitale & Aaron Caruso Neapolitan Song Competition. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Music with an emphasis in Voice Performance from Florida State University, and her Master of Music in Voice Performance from University of Michigan.
Ms. Gispert has attended multiple training programs, including the Collaborative Piano Institute Vocal Academy, Miami Music Festival, Opera Naples Academy, Berlin Opera Academy, and Saluzzo Opera Academy opera training programs, where she has worked with Martin Katz, Verónica Villarroel, Sherril Milnes, Cecilia Duarte, Paul Groves, Blair Salter, Amy Petrongelli, and Betsy Bishop. Along with these programs, she is and has been an Artist in Residence with West Michigan Opera Project and Miami Lyric Opera, performing comprimario and ensemble roles. Other opera chorus experience includes Florida Grand Opera, Opera Grand Rapids, Riuniti Opera, and Barry University.
When not performing, she resides in Grand Rapids, MI with her husband and their tiny, misbehaved dog, Luna, and enjoys counting down the days until summer. She sings often with the Cathedral of Saint Andrew and Fountain Street Church.