Judith Overcash

Soprano

Judith Overcash, soprano, originally hails from Charleston, South Carolina, but now claims Ohio as her home. She has spent several years specializing in the performance of music from the Medieval through the early Classical period and the 20th century, and has received critical acclaim across the US. Judith was recently named as a finalist in the International Bodky Award Competition, the only vocalist ever to receive such a distinction. As a concert soloist, Judith has established a reputation performing large oratorio and dramatic works, and is often praised for bringing an “unexpected and interesting lightness” (Columbus Dispatch) to such traditionally large works. She is perhaps most well-known, however, for her performances of smaller, more intimate chamber, early opera, and early music works, performing in a style noted as “tasteful, understated and expressive” (Mansfield News Journal). Judith makes frequent appearances as a featured soloist with a number of period and modern ensembles and orchestras across the country, receiving repeated critical acclaim for her “lovely, clear-as-a-bell voice” (Charleston Post & Courier), paired with an “excellence of style and ease of expression” (Cleveland Plain Dealer). Recent performances have taken her from coast to coast, appearing with ensembles such as the Seattle Baroque Orchestra, Apollo’s Fire, The Catacoustic Consort, the Texas Early Music Project, the medieval ensemble Istanpitta, the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra, the Ensemble Oubache (Indianapolis Baroque), and the Texas Baroque ensemble La Folia. She also performs regularly within her home state of Ohio with such noted ensembles as the Columbus Bach Ensemble, the Warren Philharmonic, the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra, the Dayton Philharmonic, and the Dayton Bach Society. Judith has recently performed as a guest artist at several workshops and festivals, such as the Piccolo Spoleto Early Music Series, the Amherst Early Music Festival Concert Series, the Texas Midwinter Festival of Music, and the Cleveland Museum of Art Musart Series, to name but a few. Judith holds both Masters and Doctoral degrees in Early Music Performance Practices, as well as a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance, studying at Case Western Reserve University, the Indiana University Institute of Early Music, and the University of Texas at Austin. She is currently part-time music history, vocal pedagogy, and voice faculty at both Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, and Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio, and is ever-active as guest faculty and lecturer for special events, including most recently the International Historical Harp Conference, the Southeast Medieval Association International Conference in New Orleans, and the Amherst Early Music Festival and Workshop in Storrs, Connecticut. Judith can be heard on recordings and public radio broadcasts with the Texas Early Music Project, the Columbus Bach Ensemble, the Dayton Bach Society, the Warren Philharmonic, Amherst Early Music, Inc., and the Charleston Pro Musica. Please visit her website at www.judithovercash.com.