SFCM's Catherine Cook Awarded Medal by San Francisco Opera
Mezzo-soprano Cook was recognized for 30 years of performances with the SFO.
Catherine Cook in Rossini’s “Barber of Seville.” (Credit: Stefan Cohen)
The San Francisco Opera recognized three of its sturdiest pillars Sunday, awarding the SFO Medal to SFCM's Frederica Von Stade Distinguished Chair in Voice Catherine Cook—along with bass-baritones Philip Skinner and Dale Travis—for over 30 years of performances with the distinguished organization.
The ceremony capped the SFO's run of Francis Poulenc’s Dialogues of the Carmelites, in which Cook played Mother Jeanne. (Travis portrayed Marquis de la Force in Dialogues; Skinner was not part of this production.)
"To be part of the San Francisco Opera family for all of these years has been such a dream come true," Cook said in her acceptance speech. “It truly is a community we are so grateful to be part of.”
Cook's resume with the SFO covers a staggering 350-plus performances in over 50 productions. She, like Skinner and Travis, began her career in the training programs of the San Francisco Opera Center, first in the Merola Opera Program and then as Adler fellows. She joined SFCM faculty in 2006.
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