Critically acclaimed mezzo-soprano Angela Young Smucker has been praised for her “show-stopping” voice by The St. Paul Pioneer Press, as well as her “touching simplicity and molten tone” by The Santa Fe New Mexican. She made her European debut in 2007 as alto soloist in Bach’s St. John Passion with the Leipzig Baroque Orchestra. Angela has performed several Bach works, including numerous cantatas, Mass in B-Minor, Magnificat, St. John Passion & St. Matthew Passion; Vivaldi’s Gloria; Mendelssohn’s Elijah; Bolcom’s Songs of Innocence and of Experience; and the U.S. premieres of several new sacred works. Her operatic roles include Dorabella (Così fan tutte), Augusta (The Ballad of Baby Doe), Marcellina (Le nozze di Figaro), Zita (Gianni Schicchi), and Queen of the Fairies (Iolanthe).
Angela has been a member of several professional choral ensembles including the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers, Oregon Bach Festival Chorus, Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Bach Choir of Valparaiso University, Heartland Chamber Chorale, and Festival Ensemble Stuttgart. She has worked with renowned conductors Helmuth Rilling, Craig Jessop, Christopher M. Cock, and Philip Brunelle. Originally from Southern Illinois, Angela resides in Chicago and is an adjunct instructor of music at Valparaiso University. She received her Master of Music from University of Minnesota and her Bachelor of Music Education from Valparaiso University.
