American soprano Mimmi Fulmer performs repertoire ranging from early music to premieres of works written for her. Her distinguished career in new music includes premieres of nine roles in eight operas.   An expert on Nordic repertoire, she is the editor of a three-volume anthology of songs from Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. Her discography includes six CDs of American music and a CD of songs from Finland, Sweden, and Norway.

The granddaughter of immigrants from Finland and Sweden, Ms. Fulmer is an advocate for bringing Nordic songs to American singers. She has presented programs of this repertoire throughout the United States, including Seattle, Portland, Tacoma, Raleigh, Lincoln, Omaha, and Charlotte, as well as at conferences in Stockholm, Brisbane, Honolulu, Indianapolis, Minneapolis and Tucson. She was described as “an ideally persuasive artist for this repertoire” in the Journal of Singing for her CD, “Voyage Home: Songs of Finland, Sweden and Norway” (Centaur Records) and her three-volume anthology of Nordic songs, Midnight Sun, including music, phonetics, translations, and recordings of the texts, was published by Subito Music.  The National Library of Finland requested a copy of Midnight Sun as an addition to their archives. Her article, “Finnish songs for American college-age singers”, was published by the Journal of Singing in November 2022.  Recent performances featuring Nordic repertoire include recitals at Northern Michigan University and the Mindekirken in Minneapolis, lecture-recitals at Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study conferences in Austin and Seattle, a lecture-recital at the International College Music Society conference in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, and a recital as part of the University of Tampa Gordon Chamber Series.

Ms. Fulmer’s undergraduate studies at Princeton University and fellowships at Tanglewood were the springboard for her work in contemporary American music. Her solo CD, “About Time”, was called “a gratifying testimony to …composers in America” by Opera News online and “a spectacular show” by American Record Guide.  At the University of Michigan, she premiered a one-woman multi-media opera written for her by Alicyn Warren. She can be heard on CDs of music by David Dies (Albany Records), Joseph Dubiel (Centaur Records), Edward Cone (CRI), and Hans Sturm (Innova).  She has been a featured soloist at festivals including Aspen, Bang on a Can, and Bath Fringe Festival, in programs at the Kennedy Center, CAMI Hall, Princeton University, Houston, Dallas, Seattle, Atlanta, Milwaukee, and the Walker Art Center, and at conferences in Costa Rica and Kyoto.

Her opera roles include standard repertoire as well as premieres of roles written for her, and her oratorio roles include major soprano solos of Bach, Vivaldi, and Handel.  Early music has been a significant part of her career, and she performs regularly with the Wisconsin Baroque Ensemble.  She has presented recitals around the US, most recently at the Meadowlark Festival in Nebraska and Meredith College in North Carolina.

In addition to her Nordic song anthology, Ms. Fulmer’s publications include a book and engraved score of “Vision and Prayer” by Milton Babbitt (Subito Music).  She is currently working on a companion book on Babbitt’s “Philomel” for publication. Selections from her translations of “Pierrot Lunaire” (with Ric Merritt) appear in standard textbooks and are used by performing organizations worldwide.

Critical praise for Ms. Fulmer includes notice by the Washington Post for her “really beautiful soprano”, 21^st Century Music as “… the glowing and smoky soprano…”, and Gramophone for her “warm and natural interpretations”.  Her CD “American Vistas” was called “superb” by American Record Guide, and NATS Journal notes “…her technique enables her to sing even the most intricate of these songs with assured ease”.

Ms. Fulmer is Professor of Voice and Opera at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she has received the Vilas Associate, Creative Arts, and Chancellor’s Awards. Her students are enjoying success around the world with companies including the Metropolitan Opera, Frankfurt Opera, Vienna State Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Mainz Oper, Los Angeles Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Opera Australia and Glyndebourne, and in musical theatre careers encompassing leading roles on Broadway and national tours. Her alumni are engaged in careers as educators at the school and university levels, including the University of Tampa, Wingate University, Roberts Wesleyan University, Lawrence University, Beloit College, and Carroll University, and others have pursued careers on cruise ships and in contemporary music and music management.  Ms. Fulmer has presented numerous guest artist classes, including at University of Tampa, Ball State University, Northern Michigan University, University of California-Riverside, Milwaukee High School for the Arts, and with the Currents Ensemble to rural Virginia schools.