Soprano Julia Bullock has been hailed as an “impressive, fast-rising soprano… poised for a significant career” (The New York Times).  Equally at home with opera and concert repertoire, she has captivated audiences with her versatile artistry and commanding stage presence.  This season, Ms. Bullock launches the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s 2017-2018 season joining Andris Nelsons in its Bernstein Gala, sings Pamina in concert performances of Die Zauberflöte with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, makes her San Francisco Opera debut in the world premiere of Girls of the Golden West composed by John Adams to a libretto by Peter Sellars,  joins the Dutch National Opera in a company premiere of Simon McBurney’s production of The Rake’s Progress under the direction of Ivor Bolton, sings Maria in a concert version of “West Side Story,” with NHK Orchestra in Tokyo, Japan led by Paavo Järvi, makes her Santa Fe Opera debut as Kitty Oppenheimer in a new Peter Sellars production of Doctor Atomic by frequent collaborator John Adams, appears as soloist with the Iris Orchestra, and tours North America in recital with performances under the auspices of Boston Celebrity Series, Cal Performances, Berkeley, University of California Santa Barbara Arts & Lectures, Carnegie Hall, Harriman Jewell Series, and Spivey Hall amongst others.

Highlights of last season included Ms. Bullock’s appearance as Clara in Porgy and Bess with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra conducted by David Robertson, two performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic: in John Adams’ El Niño, and in the role of “A Girl” in West Side Story at the Hollywood Bowl, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel.  Ms. Bullock has been featured in a recital program with tenor Ian Bostridge presented by the LA Phil, entitled Night and Dreams: A Schubert & Beckett Recital, directed by Yuval Sharon.  Her busy season also included the premiere of a work by Jonathan Berger with Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, a continued collaboration with the International Contemporary Ensemble (I.C.E) on “Perle Noir: Meditations for Joséphine,” in performances at Mostly Mozart and Da Camera, a concert presented by the Resonant Bodies Festival (a New York-based contemporary music festival that celebrates new vocal works), and a performance of Villa Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 with the Baltimore Symphony, conducted by Marin Alsop.

She has appeared as soloist with orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra with Simon Rattle, the New World Symphony with Christian Reif, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s.  In summer 2015, Ms. Bullock made her debut with the New York Philharmonic, performing Bernstein’s West Side Story Concert Suite No. 1 with Alan Gilbert in New York City parks, at Bravo! Vail, and in Santa Barbara.  She made her San Francisco Symphony debut in West Side Story in Concert, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas; an album of the concert was released on the orchestra’s label in 2014.  The San Francisco Chronicle wrote: “The evening’s most remarkable showstopper, Julia Bullock, appeared out of nowhere to deliver a full-voiced stunningly paced account of ‘Somewhere’—for just a moment, it seemed as though nothing Bernstein ever wrote was quite as magical as that one song.”

She sang the lead role in the Berlin Philharmonic’s Orchestra Academy performance of Saariaho’s La Passion de Simone, directed by Peter Sellars, which she reprised at the Ojai Festival in 2016.  She performed the title role in Purcell’s The Indian Queen at the Perm Opera House, Teatro Real, the Bolshoi, and the English National Opera, and she has toured South America as Pamina in Peter Brook’s award-winning A Magic Flute.  Other opera roles include Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Monica in The Medium, and the title roles in Cendrillon, The Cunning Little Vixen, and L’Enfant et les Sortilèges.

Ms. Bullock’s contextually-driven recital and educational outreach programs have taken her across the United States to venues including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concerts, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, San Francisco Performances, University of Florida Performing Arts, and the Levine School of Music.  She has sung numerous times with the New York Festival of Song, and in art song young artist programs at Caramoor and Songfest.  She has also participated in master classes with bass-baritone José van Dam, soprano Jessye Norman, bass-baritone Eric Owens, and soprano Dawn Upshaw.

Ms. Bullock’s accolades include a 2016 Sphinx Foundation Medal of Excellence, a 2015 Leonore Annenberg Arts Fellowship, the 2015 Richard F. Gold Grant from the Shoshana Foundation, Lincoln Center’s 2015 Martin E. Segal Award, First Prize at the 2014 Naumburg International Vocal Competition, and First Prize at the 2012 Young Concert Artists International Auditions. She holds the Lindemann Vocal Chair of Young Concert Artists.  Her management is also supported by the Barbara Forester Austin Fund for Art Song.  From 2003 to 2005, Ms. Bullock participated in the Artists-in-Training program with the Opera Theater of St. Louis.  She holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music, Bard Graduate Vocal Arts Program, and graduated with an Artist’s Diploma from the Juilliard School in 2015.

Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Ms. Bullock integrates her musical life with community activism.  She has organized and participated in benefit concerts in support of the FSH Society, the Music and Medicine Initiative for New York’s Weill Medical Center, and the Shropshire Music Foundation, a non-profit that serves war-affected children and adolescents through music education and performance programs in Kosovo, Northern Ireland, and Uganda.  www.juliabullock.com.

John Arida is a pianist and coach based in New York City and specializing in both opera and art song. During the 2016-17 season he appeared in recital with soprano Julia Bullock at the Rochester Lyric Opera and mezzo-soprano Megan Marino at Opera Delaware’s Sunday Artist Spotlight series. Mr. Arida also serves on the music staff at the Juilliard School, Virginia Opera, and Central City Opera, as well as the Prototype Festival, where he will prepare the New York premiere of “anatomy theater” by Pulitzer Prize winner David Lang. Past notable performances include Carnegie Hall and Mexico recital debuts with mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard; John’s Canadian debut with soprano Simone Osborne; and the live-streamed memorial tribute to Maestro Lorin Maazel, where his partners included Sir James Galway. Mr. Arida has been on the music staff at the Juilliard School, Central City Opera, the Castleton Festival, Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra and has held a season-long engagement as Emerging Artist Pianist with Virginia Opera. He holds a master’s degree in collaborative piano from Juilliard as well as a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from SUNY Purchase.