Martha Guth

Soprano Martha Guth brings consummate musicianship and a distinctive tonal palette to a wide range of musical periods and styles. A much-sought-after concert soloist, her repertoire includes soprano 1 in Mozart’s C Minor Mass (New York’s Sacred Music in a Sacred Space in St. Ignatius Loyola Cathedral and Pro Musica Columbus), Orff’s Carmina Burana (West Michigan, Mobile, Lima Symphonies, Florida Orchestra), the Brahms Requiem (Washington, D.C.’s Cathedral Choral Society, New York’s Voices of Ascension, Grand Rapids’ Calvin College), Britten’s Spring Symphony (Choral Society of Durham), Händel’s Messiah (Santa Fe Symphony, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Christ Church Cathedral in Lexington, Kentucky), Mendelssohn’s Elijah (Columbus Symphony and Gloriae Dei Cantores), Mahler’s Second Symphony (Evansville Philharmonic, Mobile Symphony) and Fourth Symphony (Flagstaff and Maryland Symphonies) , Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony (Fort Wayne Philharmonic) and Missa solemnis (Bachakademie Stuttgart, Toledo Symphony), Mozart’s Exsultate, jubilate (Hamilton Philharmonic, Maryland Symphony) and Concert Arias (Germany’s Bad Reichenhaller Philharmonie), Berlioz’s Les nuits d’été (Canadian Opera Company orchestra), Haydn’s Die Schöpfung (New Mexico Symphony) and Poulenc’s Stabat Mater (Spokane Symphony). In addition, she has collaborated with John Nelson, Helmuth Rilling, Richard Bradshaw, both Seiji Ozwa and Robert Spano at Tanglewood and been guest soloist with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic and Toronto Symphony, among many other orchestras. Current highlights include Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang Symphony with both the Yakima Symphony (also recording) and Pro Musica Columbus and Haydn’s Die Schopfung with the Baton Rouge Symphony.

A persuasive actress, Ms. Guth has performed Frau Fluth in the Boston Midsummer Opera’s production of Nicolai’s The Merry Wives of Windsor, Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro (Countess) and Don Giovanni (Donna Anna) at Opera Lyra Ottawa; the same composer’s Die Zauberflöte (Pamina) and Die Entführungaus dem Serail (Konstanze) in Göggingen, Germany; the title role of Händel’s Alcina in Lucca, Italy; Lauretta in Bizet’s Dr. Miracle and Norina in Don Pasquale with the Santa Fe Opera (the latter on tour as a past apprentice of the company), and Alyce in Tom Cipullo’s Glory Denied at New York’s Chelsea Opera. She has also performed with the opera companies of Graz (Austria) and Palma de Mallorca (Spain).

A model collaborator, Ms. Guth has earned special distinction for her passionate devotion to recital and chamber repertoire, earning First Prize at the Wigmore Hall International Song Competition in London. She has given recitals at London’s Wigmore Hall and Leeds Lieder Festival with pianist Graham Johnson; in New York with Dalton Baldwin and Malcolm Martineau, and at both the Vancouver International Song Institute and Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival with Erika Switzer. Together with Ms. Switzer she is Co-Director of Sparks & Wiry Cries, a global platform for art song, encompassing publication, performance and the commissioning of new works. Sparks is the force behind the popular songSLAMs presented in partnership with regional arts and academic institutions the world over, and every January presents its own songSLAM Festival weekend in New York City. Her 2025-26 season includes recitals and masterclasses with Graham Johnson at Cornell University, the Oxford International Song Festival, the Philharmonie Luxembourg; recitals with Erika Switzer at the Oxford International Song Festival & Bard College; Mahler’s Second Symphony with Gloria dei Cantores and the Pensacola Symphony, a host of projects as producer under the auspices of Sparks & Wiry Cries (see www.marthaguth.com and www.sparksandwirycries.org).

Dr. Guth is Associate Professor of Voice at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. She has been Co-Artistic Director and Director of the Composer/Mentorship program at SongFest, and is a frequent faculty member at both the Vocal Academy for The Collaborative Piano Institute, and at Opera Seme in Arezzo, Italy. She has presented lectures, masterclasses and recitals at the University of Toronto, Indiana University, Peabody Conservatory, Boston Conservatory, University of Madison-Wisconsin, University of Manitoba, Notre Dame, the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and many more. Her recitals have been broadcast on the CBC Radio/Radio Canada, BBC Radio (U.K.) and WDR (Germany). Recordings include a solo disc of Schubert songs with fortepianist Penelope Crawford, John Fritz-Roger’s Magna Mysteria on the Innova label, Brahms’ Liebeslieder Waltzes and The Five Borough Song Book. Her recording of Roberto Sierra’s Beyond the Silence of Sorrow with the Puerto Rico Symphony was nominated for a 2016 Latin Grammy; Summer Night (songs of Healy Willan, Canadian Art Song Project with collaborators Peter Barrett, Allyson McHardy and Helen Becqué) was nominated for a 2020 Juno Award.