Beth Allen-Gardner is an American mezzo-soprano recognized for her expressive, warmly colored voice and her accomplished work in sacred and concert repertoire.  A sought-after soloist throughout the southeastern United States, she appears regularly with leading choral and orchestral ensembles, bringing stylistic sensitivity and clarity to music from the Baroque to the modern era.  Her performances are noted for their ease of line and communicative directness, qualities that make her especially compelling in oratorio and liturgical works.
 

She has been featured with organizations including Mallarmé Music, Bel Canto Company, the Bach Choir of Bethlehem, the Durham Symphony, the Choral Societies of Durham and Greensboro, and the Greensboro Oratorio Singers, and is a frequent soloist at Duke Chapel.  Her repertoire encompasses many of the central works of the choral canon, including Handel’s Messiah and Judas Maccabaeus, Bach’s Magnificat and cantatas, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Mozart’s Requiem, Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music, and Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, Choral Fantasy, and Mass in C.  Alongside her concert work, she is an active recitalist with Gaudete Ministries as well as other collaborators, presenting programs that reflect both her affinity for early music and her engagement with a wide range of vocal literature.  
 

A prizewinner in several competitions, including the University of North Carolina Concerto Competition and NC NATS, Allen-Gardner has also been recognized in national vocal contests including the Bach Vocal Competition for American Singers, the Audrey Rooney Vocal Competition, and the American Traditions Competition, as well as the Rochester International Vocal Competition.  Though primarily devoted to concert singing, her stage experience includes operatic and musical theatre roles, reflecting a versatility that informs her nuanced approach to text and character.  Most recently, she played Baroness Elsa Schraeder in The Sound of Music at High Point Theater, a ward in Greensboro Opera’s Pirates of Penzance, and Emma Carew in Studio 1’s Jekyll and Hyde.   A Graduate Dean’s Award recipient and Hester Graduate Fellow (UNCG), Beth holds her M.M. in Vocal Pedagogy and Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Music Education from UNC-Greensboro, her B.M. with Distinction in Voice from UNC-Chapel Hill, and opera and art song certificates from Sankt Goar International Music Festival and Academy.
 

Beth’s vocal journey has led her to become a "Zwischenfach," comfortable singing a wide range of roles written for both soprano and mezzo-soprano.  Although she has acted on both the opera and musical theatre stage, Beth feels most connected to the art song and oratorio repertoire and greatly relishes shedding light on the texts and growing in her ability to artfully interpret the musical choices made by each composer.

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