Angelina Reaux

Angelina Réaux is a versatile singing actress with outstanding accomplishments in opera, theatre, concert, and cabaret. Trained as both an actress and a classical singer, she has forged her own unique path and fits no conventional mold.

It is perhaps her association with the music of Kurt Weill and her collaboration with Leonard Bernstein that has brought her world-wide recognition. Hailed as one of the great Weill singers of all time, Réaux's command of Weill's repertoire is incomparable. Her one-woman Kurt Weill show Stranger Here Myself was first produced by Joseph Papp at the New York Shakespeare Festival for a 5-week sold-out run and has since toured the United States and England.
Her performances of Weill's Johnny Johnson Suite and Marie Galante Suite were presented by the Almeida Theatre, directed by Jonathan Kent, and broadcast for BBC Television. Réaux made her New York Philharmonic debut singing Weill's The Seven Deadly Sins which she has also performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Sacramento Symphony, Orchestre de Montréal, Orchestre de Lyon, and Vienna's Klangforum Orchestra. She has appeared with the Santa Fe Opera as the False Angele in the American stage premiere of Weill's opera The Tsar Has His Photograph Taken and has portrayed both Polly and Jenny in The Threepenny Opera as well as directed a production for the Chautauqua Institute. She has performed concerts of his American Broadway songs in New York City, Sarasota, San Antonio, Boston, and San Francisco, and sung a concert of his "undiscovered" archival material at Weill Recital Hall in New York City. Her Berlin Kaberett was first created for performances for the New York Philharmonic, leading to performances with St. Luke's Orchestra at Caramoor, the Philadelphia Orchestra at Saratoga, the Gilmore Piano festival, and Chicago's Royal George Theatre. The year 2000 celebrates Weill's centennial and Réaux will be honoring him with performances of Weill's Marie Galante and Lost in the Stars with the St. Louis Symphony, in recital at the Konzerthaus, Berlin, and here at the Cabrillo Music Festival.

Réaux began her collaboration with Leonard Bernstein performing Francesca on his recording of West Side Story for Deutsche Grammaphon and traveling to the Vienna Staatsoper with an all-American cast to perform his opera A Quiet Place. Réaux was then hand-picked by Maestra Bernstein to perform and record the role of Mimi in La Boheme which was televised on Italian TV and nominated for a Grammy. She has since performed his songs in numerous festivals and concert series around the world and has sung his Jeremiah Symphony at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Vienna's Konzerthaus, and with the Slovenian Philharmonije and the Innsbruck Philharmoniker. Most recently Réaux conceived, directed, and participated in the premiere of a new theatrical piece There is a Garden: A Bernstein Celebration which was the highlight of Chicago Opera Theatre's 25 season.

A champion of American music and in particular, living composers, Réaux has collaborated with and premiered the music of such prominent composers as Ned Rorem, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, William Mayer, Roberto Sierra, Robert Rodriguez, Stuart Wallace, Henri Mollicone, and Ricky Ian Gordon.

Her discography includes a recording of Weill's The Seven Deadly Sins (Teldec), conducted by Kurt Masur, his opera Street Scene (Decca/London), conducted by John Mauceri, Stranger Here Myself, a collection of Weill songs (Koch Classics), as well as La Boheme and Mad About Puccini (Deutsche Grammaphon), Marc Blitzstein's opera Regina (Decca/London), Enter Ariel, a song cycle for soprano by William Mayer (Newport Classics), Green Eggs & Ham, a chamber opera for soprano and boy soprano (Koch Classics), and the recently released Robert Rodriguez chamber opera Frida based on the life of painter Frida Kahlo (CRI).

Réaux was born in Houston, Texas to a Spanish mother and a Cajun father. She currently resides in Santa Barbara with her husband, baritone Michael Sokol, their three dogs, and many cats.