Biography

Maria Tegzes is a vocalist whose performances have received critical acclaim throughout the United States and Europe. The Berner Tagwacht (Bern, Switzerland) described her as having “poetry and dramatic presence.”  Of her performance of Milton Babbitt’s Philomel, a piece she has performed many times, Richard Dyer of the Boston Globe wrote: “Tegzes is of the earth, earthy…a singer of superb musicianship and compellingly assured dramatic presence.”  She is the lead vocalist and collaborative composer/arranger with her musically eclectic trio, IMPetus, which includes guitarist, Dave “Knife” Fabris and pianist, Geoffrey Burleson.

As a music instructor, Maria teaches voice, has coached and directed opera scenes workshops, and has given lectures on Weimar Cabaret, various operas, and avant garde art music in the United States, Spain, Mexico, and England.  Additionally, Maria’s performing and teaching have taken her to various music festivals throughout the world. Among them are the InterHarmony Music Festival (Acqui Terme, Italy), Montenea Festival (Talloires, France, Leukerbad and Bern, Switzerland), Spitze des Eisbergs (Bern, Switzerland), NWEAMO Festival (San Diego, CA), Santander Festival (Santander, Spain), and  Xornadas de Música Contemporanea (Santiago de Compostela, Spain).

She has performed operatic roles ranging from The Queen of the Night to original roles in premiere productions; and has been a soloist with many chamber groups, including CUBE Ensemble (Chicago), the Princeton Ensemble, Boston Musica Viva, Taller Instrumental (La Coruña and Santiago, Spain), Phantom Arts Ensemble (Boston), and Composers Concordance (NYC).  Likewise, solo appearances as recitalist include The Dame Myra Hess Series in Chicago, Geothe Institut-Boston (Kurt Weill Centennial Birthday Celebration), MoMA (as part of their Bauhaus Exhibition), Embassy of Romania in Washington, DC, Museo Nacional de Arte in Mexico City, and The Chapel Royal Recital Series in Brighton, England.

As a champion of new music, Maria had the privilege of premiering by Alexander von Zemlinsky,s “Der Tag wird kuhl”  with pianist Leslie Amper, at the Houghton Library, Harvard University. She has also had the pleasure of working with numerous composers, including Milton Babbitt, Donald Martino, Arthur Berger, Marti Epstein, Edward Harsh, David Rakowsky, Beth Wieman, Brian Banks, Andrew Rindfleisch, Linda Dusman, Earl Kim, Robert Cogan, Pozzi Escot, and Jean-Claude Risset.

Recordings on NEUMA, CRI, Great Winds, and BDF Sound Studio.