Gershwin: Porgy and Bess

CONDUCTOR
Chloé Dufresne

With her clear technique, calm authority and imaginative palette, Chloé Dufresne has made her mark as a conductor only a few years since graduating from the Sibelius Academy. She has recently been appointed Music Director of Colorado Springs Philharmonic, and serves as Associate Artist of the Orchestre National de Bretagne and Artistic Director of Orchestre Ostinato.

A background in singing and choral conducting has led Dufresne naturally to opera, and in the 2024–25 season she conducted Carmen at Theater Magdeburg, Orphée aux enfers with Opéra national du Capitole de Toulouse, L’Elisir d’amore with Opéra National de Lorraine, and a new production of Leonard Evers’ Humanoid at Semperoper Dresden. Earlier productions include Don Giovanni, Norma, Albert Herring and Offenbach’s Pomme d’Api for Opéra Rouen, Opéra de Toulon, Opéra de Nice and Opéra National de Lorraine, as well as a Bayreuth production of Wagner’s The Ring for children at the Helsinki Festival. Alongside her commitments in Colorado, this season Dufresne conducts Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie Koblenz and Kuopio Symphony Orchestra.

In France, she returns to Orchestre National de Bretagne, Opéra Grand Avignon (with Offenbach’s La Belle Hélène) and Opéra National de Paris for Mozart’s La Finta Giardiniera. As well as specializing in core repertoire by composers such as Debussy, Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Dvořák and Beethoven, Dufresne is a strong advocate for new music and won a prize for her interpretation of music by Camille Pépin at the Besançon Conducting Competition.

In her role as Music Director of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic she will collaborate with contemporary composers including Wynton Marsalis, Hannah Kendall, Michael Daugherty and John Williams. She previously conducted music by György Ligeti, Lucas Ligeti and Hannah Kendall with Basel Sinfonietta, and works by Ross Edwards, Cecilia Damström and Ville Raasakka.

Dufresne studied viola, singing and choral conducting before completing her Masters in conducting from the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki in 2020, where her teachers included Atso Almila, Sakari Oramo and Alain Altinoglu. In 2021 she won both audience and orchestra prizes at the Besançon Conducting Competition and was awarded 3rd prize at the Malko Competition. She was a Conducting Fellow at the 2022 Lucerne Festival and a Dudamel Fellow with Los Angeles Philharmonic.

SOPRANO
Brittany Renee

GRAMMY Award–winning soprano Brittany Renee has been hailed for her “luminous tones” and radiant stage presence, with Opera News praising the “plush soprano bloom” of her voice. A rising star of the Metropolitan Opera, she has quickly become a favorite on America’s great stages, captivating audiences in roles from Musetta in La Bohème to Julie in the groundbreaking opera Omar.

Her journey with Porgy and Bess has been especially meaningful. Brittany first appeared in The Met’s historic, GRAMMY-winning production as Annie, later stepping into the role of Bess with Washington National Opera, and returning again this season to embody the role in her Metropolitan Opera house debut. Critics have celebrated her performances as both soulful and sophisticated, a blend of warmth and vocal brilliance that makes her Bess unforgettable.

Beyond Gershwin, she continues to bring new life to both classics and contemporary works, from starring in Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones and Champion to joining world premieres like Paola Prestini’s Silent Light. On the concert stage, Brittany has sung with the New York Philharmonic, Buffalo Philharmonic, and Wynton Marsalis’ Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, among many others. Whether in opera, recital, or jazz collaboration, she brings audiences into her world with artistry that feels both timeless and fresh. Read Brittany Renee’s full bio at www.brittanyreneesoprano.com.

BARITONE
Kenneth Overton

Celebrated baritone Kenneth Overton is known for a voice described as “emanating from deep within body and soul.” A GRAMMY Award winner, he has built a career marked by versatility, charisma, and a deep connection to the roles he sings.

No role has defined that artistry more than Porgy in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess—a part Kenneth has performed over one hundred times on the world’s great stages, from the Royal Danish Opera to Deutsche Oper Berlin. His interpretation has been called “breathtaking,” and he continues to be one of the role’s leading interpreters today.

His Metropolitan Opera debut came in Porgy and Bess as Lawyer Frazier, and his career has spanned everything from Germont in La Traviata to new works like Terence Blanchard’s Champion and Zach Redler’s The Falling and The Rising. In concert, Kenneth’s rich baritone has graced performances of Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, and Damien Geter’s An African American Requiem at the Kennedy Center.

Offstage, Overton honors the legacy of spirituals and African American composers through his album Been In De Storm So Long: Songs My Fathers Taught Me, and as a co-founder of the Black Leadership Arts Collective, supporting the next generation of Black vocal artists. Hailing from Philadelphia, he continues to inspire audiences with performances rooted in passion, pride, and tradition. Read Kenneth Overton’s full bio at kennethoverton.com.

Founded in 1956, the Colorado Springs Chorale serves the Pikes Peak Region as the premier symphonic chorus. Under the baton of artistic director and conductor, Adam Torres, the Chorale presents performances each season, spanning everything from great classical masterworks to musicals and pops concerts. The Chorale has proudly performed as chorus for the Colorado Springs Philharmonic for 67 seasons.

In June of 2022, the Chorale traveled to France and became the first ever choir to perform for veterans and heads of state at the international ceremony commemorating D-Day at Normandy American Cemetery.

The Chorale offers scholarships for high school students, discounted concert tickets for senior, military, and families, and music education classes. Learn more about the Chorale and its programs and events at www.cschorale.org.

Soli Deo Gloria Choirs has been a cornerstone of Colorado Springs’ choral life since 1973. Founded from a community performance of Handel’s Messiah, the ensemble has grown into a vibrant, multi-generational organization where all voices are welcome. Guided today by Artistic Director Nathaniel Voelker, SDG unites singers of every age through sacred music’s power to inspire, uplift, and connect. Their performances range from local collaborations with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic to appearances at Carnegie Hall, all while staying rooted in their mission: to bring people together across generations through creativity, education, and excellence in choral singing.