Gala: Celebrating New Paltz!
2010 Honoree, Barbara Hardgrave, MFA
Professor Emerita, Department of Music and Community Volunteer
Biography
Barbara Hardgrave, is known for her distinguished career in opera and performance.
Immediately upon receiving her MFA from the New England Conservatory in Boston, Barbara
went directly to SUNY New Paltz enjoying the role as a voice professor specializing in art song
literature. During her nearly 40 year tenure, she also performed in numerous solo and chamber
concerts. Her specialty is classical vocal diction.
As a mezzo soprano and voice teacher, Barbara taught voice and vocal diction for many years
and coached song literature with eminent vocal coaches in New York City, Boston and London.
In 1977, Barbara was the diction coach for the Merola Opera Program, which is the intensive
summer apprenticeship of the San Francisco Opera. Barbara served in the position for five
summers. The singers in the program (around 20 each year) were some of the most
outstanding young opera singers in the country, and many in the program are performing on the
major opera stages around the world. In addition to the Merola Program, Barbara served as the
diction coach for the Fall 1978 Season of the San Francisco Opera. She worked on productions
including Tosca, Werther, Don Giovanni, Billy Budd, Norma, Der Rosenkavalier, Lohengrin and
Otello. Some of the principals in those productions were Luciano Povarotti, Placido Domingo,
Shirley Verrett and Monserrat Caballe.
In 2004, Barbara served as diction coach for the Central City Opera. Again, there were very
talented young singers from major conservatories around the country and fine principal
artists mostly from the New York City Opera. Living 8,000 feet up in the Rocky Mountains was
fun too.
Away from New Paltz, performing experience has mainly been with OperaFortCollins in
Colorado, where she won acclaim for performances and sang principal roles in Carmen
(Carmen), Madama Butterfly (Suzuki), Regina (title role) and Candide (the Old Lady). Other
musical credits include performances with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic in La Traviata
(Annina), Madama Butterfly (Suzuki) and Cavalleria Rusticana (Mamma Lucia). Gilbert &
Sullivan Musical Theatre Company productions included The Mikado, HMS Pinafore,
Ruddigore, Fiddler on the Roof, The Medium and Sweeney Todd. Leslie Gerber, former music
critic of the Kingston Freeman, described Barbara as “one of musical treasures of the Hudson
Valley.”
Locally, Barbara served as President of the Board of Trustees for the Elting Library and led a
public relations campaign to educate voters on its financial issues. Thanks to the tireless efforts
of Barbara and many dozens of other volunteers, the project received strong support and put a
budget referendum on the ballot which passed in November, 2009 by a healthy majority. This
milestone provided a permanent level of funding and secured the financial survival of the library.