Hanne Ladefoged-Dollase, contralto

Hanne Ladefoged-Dollase is a native of Randers, Denmark. She has performed extensively throughout North America, promoting Scandinavian music and culture in recitals and lectures, including A Celebration of Danish Music, From Tivoli to Troldhaugen, Danish Music – Past and Present and A Musical Portrait of Hans Christian Andersen.

Before moving to the New York area, Ms. Ladefoged-Dollase lived in Seattle, Washington, where she performed with the Seattle Opera, Tacoma Opera, Orchestra Seattle, Northwest Chamber Orchestra, the Northwest Sinfonietta and the Early Music Guild of Seattle, among others. She has performed in avant-garde and baroque opera, and also in the standard repertoire such as Orlovsky in Die Fledermaus, Hansel in Hansel and Gretel and Maddalena in Rigoletto.

She has sung the alto solos in major works by Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi, as well as in Elgar's Sea Pictures, Mahler's Ruckert Lieder, Respighi's Laud to the Nativity, the Mother in Elverskud by Danish composer Niels W.Gade, Beethoven's Mass in C, the Mozart and Dvorak Requiems, Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass, Carl Nielsen's Five Songs, Opus 4, and the world premiere of Passing Chimes for mezzo and chamber ensemble, by Northwest composer Roger Briggs.

On the East Coast, Ms. Ladefoged-Dollase has performed with the New York Scandia Symphony, Adelphi Chamber Orchestra, Oratorio Society of New Jersey, Ars Musica Chorale, Essex Chorale, National Chorale, and in the Trinity Concert Series. She made her East Coast operatic debut as Ines in Verdi's Il trovatore with the State Repertory Opera of New Jersey and spent the past year celebrating Hans Christian Andersen's 200th birthday with several concerts in the New York area including a lecture-recital at the American Scandinavian Foundation's Victor Borge Hall in New York City. She also performed in the Scandinavian Music Festival in Fort Tryon Park with the Scandia String Quartet, led by famed violinist Mayuki Fukuhara.

Ms.Ladefoged-Dollase holds a Masters Degree in musicology and vocal pedagogy from the University of Copenhagen. She won several prestigious scholarships and grants to pursue post-graduate studies in vocal performance in the U.S.

Ms. Ladefoged-Dollase appeared with The St. Cecilia Chorus for the first time in February 2007. She performed with them again as a soloist in Mendelssohn's Die erste Walpurgisnacht in Carnegie Hall on May 4, 2007.

In the 2007-2008 season, Ms. Ladefoged-Dollase will appear with The St. Cecilia Chorus in Bach's Christmas Oratorio on December 7, 2007 at Carnegie Hall, as well as in Duruflé's Requiem and Bernstein's Chichester Psalms in February 2008.