Athlone Artists is pleased to welcome to its roster Helen Zhibing Huang, a Chinese-born American soprano lauded by the Boston Globe for her “immaculate coloratura chops and nuanced acting.” In fall of 2019, Huang created the character of Singa Loh in Jorge Sosa’s I Am a Dreamer Who No Longer Dreams with White Snake Projects, a “challenging role” that Opera News declared she performed “brilliantly.” In the 2019-2020 season, Huang also made concert and operatic debuts in Europe at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and in Australia. As a Nashville Opera Mary Ragland Emerging Artist, she performed the role of Flora in The Turn of the Screw and was slated to perform Countess Ceprano and the Page, and cover Gilda in Rigoletto before that spring 2020 production was cancelled due to COVID-19. Instead, Huang has used this time to help establish the initiative Wear Yellow Proudly to bring awareness to Asian culture and strengthen the ties within the global community through music, poetry and culture.
It was at a performance of I Am a Dreamer… that Huang was introduced to Miguel Rodriguez of Athlone Artists. “Cerise Lim Jacobs of White Snake Projects has been a huge supporter of my work and my journey ever since I was a graduate student in Boston where I did workshops with her,” says Helen. “It was Cerise who suggested I work with Miguel. We met after a show, and I immediately fell in love with his personality. I trust this is going to be a really good match for me.”
“I was drawn-in by Helen’s performance in I Am a Dreamer…” says Miguel Rodriguez. “She beautifully executed the challenging music of Sosa’s score, and paired with her astute dramatic instincts as an actress, she gave for a powerful performance. I can’t wait to see her as Sophie, Nannetta and much more!”
Huang’s other operatic credits include the title role in The Ballad of Baby Doe, Clorinda in Rossini’s La Cenerentola, Amore in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, Serpetta in Mozart’s La finta giardiniera, La fée in Massenet’s Cendrillon, Poppea in Handel’s Agrippina, and Carolina in Cimarosa’s Il matrimonio segreto. A strong advocate for new music, Huang has participated in workshops for operas including Paola Prestini’s Gilgamesh, Julian Wachner’s REV. 23, and Leanna Kirchoff’s Friday After Friday. Her concert credits include Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Creation, Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn and Symphony No. 4, and Earl Kim’s Where Grief Slumbers.
A Jensen Foundation Competition finalist in 2019, Huang has also earned recognition from competitions such as the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, McCammon Voice Competition, and the National Opera Association Vocal Competition.
Huang recently finished her second year as a Resident Artist at Portland Opera, and has fulfilled young artist residencies at Central City Opera, Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute, and Songfest. She holds degrees from the New England Conservatory, Bard Vocal Arts Program, the Eastman School of Music, and the University of Rochester (B.A. Economics). In her spare time, Huang enjoys cooking traditional Chinese dishes, traveling, and making new friends.
