Martha Connolly

Instructor of Voice

Office: Ewell Hall 253
Phone: 757 221 1092
Email: [[mtconn]]

Education

Ms. Connolly received her early music training in piano at the New England Conservatory of Music, her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Michigan, and her Master of Music from the Catholic University of America. Ms. Connolly studied with Roland Wyatt and Judith Raskin in New York. She has studied with Pierre Bernac, Irmgard Seefried, and studied the interpretation of twentieth-century music under the composer Ernst Krenek. She was one of twelve singers selected nationwide to perform in a master class with Maureen Forrester, and in 1987 she participated in a master class with Birgit Nilssen.

Background

Ms. Connolly’s performance career has included recital and oratorio appearances throughout the Washington D.C. area. She appeared at the White House during the Ford administration. Since coming to Williamsburg, she has performed at the Occasion for the Arts, Burton Church concerts, and with the Williamsburg Choral Guild. She has given recitals for the Balmoral Society, the W&M Italian and German Departments, and gave a full recital of music composed to the words of Shakespeare for the annual Shakespeare Festival.

Areas of Specialization

Martha O’Taugher Connolly, Lecturer in Music, is completing her 29th year on the performing arts faculty of the College of William and Mary. She has also taught at Hood College, Mt. Vernon College, the Catholic University, the Northern Virginia Community College, and the University of Virginia. Her philosophy of teaching is that everyone can and should sing.

Honors, Prizes, and Awards

Ms. Connolly’s first American performances of works by Ulf Graun, Emerson Meyers, Winifred Hyson, Walter Ross, Leslie Bassett, Anton Heiler, and Emma Lou Diemer have earned her inclusion in the International Who’s Who of Music. Her named appears in Who’s Who of American Women and the Encyclopedia of Performing Musicians.