Toni Marie Palmertree
soprano
Toni Marie Palmertree is a recent graduate of the prestigious Adler Fellowship Program at San Francisco Opera. During her time in the program, she was heard as Barena in Jenufa, Voice of Heaven in Don Carlo, and High Priestess in Aida. Additional assignments include covering Elisabetta in Don Carlo, Violetta in La traviata, and the title role in Madama Butterfly. In November 2016, Ms. Palmertree was called to step onto the War Memorial stage as Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly on three-hours’ notice. Of her performance, Janos Gereben from San Francisco Classical Voice wrote: “The young soprano not only met the challenge, but she claimed her place among the finest vocal interpreters of the role heard here recently.” Ms. Palmertree opened San Francisco Opera’s 95th season as Liù in Turandot receiving high praise for her “performance of wondrous poignancy and heroism … clothed in vigorous, expressive phrasing.” Further performances in the 2017/2018 season included returning to the title role in Madama Butterfly for Festival Opera New Zealand and for Syracuse Opera. In the 2018/2019 season, Ms. Palmertree returns to San Francisco Opera to cover the role of Nedda in Pagliacci, will be heard in The Dallas Opera’s Hart Institute for Women Conductor’s concert, and makes debuts in the title role of Tosca with the Reading Symphony Orchestra and in Verdi’s Requiem with the Allentown Symphony. Additionally, she joins the Sacramento Philharmonic for a concert of operatic debuts with tenor Dimitri Pittas.
Other recent performances include Giorgetta in Il tabarro, the title role in Suor Angelica, for West Bay Opera’s production of Puccini’s Il trittico, and a recital performance with pianist Ronny Michael Greenberg in Berkeley, CA. A 2015 participant of the Merola Opera Program, Ms. Palmertree is also a recent recipient of the Richard F. Gold Career Grant by the Shoshana Foundation. She is proud to hold many awards, including winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council District Awards, finalist in the International Moniuszko Voice Competition, and the Classical Singer Voice competition. She took first place in the Long Leaf Opera of North Carolina voice competition, the Kennett Square Symphony Voice Competition, and the Marcella Sembrich competition. She was awarded third place in the National Opera Association Voice Competition and the James Parkinson Opera Competition, and was the second-place winner of the Sylvia Green Voice Competition.
