Phyllis Bryn-Julson

Phyllis Mae Bryn-Julson (born February 5, 1945) is an American operatic soprano and pedagogue.

A native of Bowdon, North Dakota, Bryn-Julson is one of five children born to Norwegian parents. She initially studied to be a pianist at Concordia College; while there she came to the attention of Gunther Schuller, who was impressed by her ability to sight-read 12-tone music. He persuaded her to study singing at the Berkshire Music Center, where Erich Leinsdorf became a mentor.

Bryn-Julson made her official debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra on October 28, 1966, performing the Lulu Suite of Alban Berg. This marked the beginning of a career in which she was associated largely with the work of modern and contemporary composers such as Milton Babbitt, John Cage, David Del Tredici, Olivier Messiaen, Krzysztof Penderecki, Frank Zappa, George Rochberg, Ned Rorem, and John Tavener. In 1976, she essayed her first operatic role, Malinche in the American premiere of Montezuma by Roger Sessions, under the baton of Sarah Caldwell in Boston. Bryn-Julson's voice is described as possessing both purity and clarity of timbre; possessed as well of perfect pitch, she has a range of three octaves and is noted for her ability to sing even quarter tones accurately. Active as a recording artist, she received a Gramophone Award for Best Opera Recording in 1995 for her performance of Erwartung with Simon Rattle;