"Ring" star Eaglen will teach as UW Artist in Residence

Jane Eaglen, the internationally acclaimed dramatic soprano and star of last summer's Seattle Opera Wagnerian "Ring," has accepted an appointment as Artist in Residence at the University of Washington for 2006-07.

The English-born singer, who lives in Seattle, will teach five students, coordinating lessons with her performance schedule around the world.

"I am very excited about the prospect of being associated with the University of Washington as Artist in Residence, and am looking forward to meeting my students and starting to work with them," Eaglen said in a recent e-mail.

"With only five students I think this should work fine. I am not cutting down on my singing at all; this [the teaching] is in addition to that."

Eaglen, who has presented master classes in several colleges and schools in this country and in the U.K., has also taught at the San Francisco Opera's Merola Program for several summers, including this year.

"I really enjoy working with young singers," Eaglen said. "I have had one teacher [Joseph Ward] since I was 17, and I have always hoped to pass on something of his teaching. I am passionate about singing and am thrilled to have this opportunity to start working with the University of Washington students."

In a statement about the appointment, UW School of Music director Robin McCabe said: "We are delighted to welcome Jane Eaglen as a faculty colleague. Her luminous career will continue to span the globe, but we are fortunate that she is able to take a small, talented, and extremely lucky group of our students under her wing."

Eaglen's upcoming operatic schedule will take her from Vancouver, B.C. ("Macbeth") to Spain ("Tristan und Isolde"), Hungary ("Ariadne auf Naxos") and Japan ("Tosca").

Concert engagements will include stops in Washington, D.C.; Montreal; Italy; Budapest, Hungary; Seattle; Prague, Czeck Republic; Oslo, Norway; Barcelona, Spain; the U.K.; and other venues worldwide.

Melinda Bargreen: mbargreen@seattletimes.com