Of the New York premiere of Robert Starer’s The Last Lover, Andrew Porter wrote that “Margaret Astrup, the Pelagia, caught the tone precisely.  Her aria--parallel to the meditation in Massenet’s “Thais” entrusted to the solo violin--was movingly sung, and, beneath her monk’s cowl her features shone with spiritual beauty.” (The New Yorker.)  For her staged premiere of Judith Wier’s one-woman operatic tour-de-force, King Harald’s Saga, (American Chamber Opera), she received critical acclaim as a “protean effortlessly able performer” (Andrew Porter, The London Financial Times). In the New York premiere of Udo Zimmerman’s The White Rose (Bel Canto Opera) she appeared “born to the role” (Bill Zachariasen, New York Daily News).

Astrup has gained a reputation as a versatile performer in styles ranging from contemporary art song and chamber music to Bel Canto and Bach.She has appeared in recital throughout the United States and in Austria and in China.  New York area recital and chamber concert venues include Carnegie Hall, Weill Recital Hall, Merkin Hall, Symphony Space, Steinway Hall, Columbia University, Yale University, New York University, NYU Institute of Fine Arts, and many others.

Astrup has premiered works by American composers Seymour Barab, Otto Luening, Ruth Schonthal, Judith Zaimont, Richard Auldon Clark, David Sampson, Jorge Martin, Jerrold Morgulas, Howard Cass, Georgia Shreeve, Douglas Anderson and Jeffrey Baker. With the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, she has performed Samuel Barber’s Knoxville, Summer of 1915, Ruth Schonthal’s Collages, Requiem by Seymour Barab and songs by Otto Luening, William Grant Still, Seymour Barab and Richard Auldon Clark.   In New York, she has appeared in many contemporary American operas including  Anna and Dedo and Calamity by Jerrold Morgulas, Jocasta by Ruth Schonthal, Ned Rorem’s Three Sisters who are not Sisters,  Jorge Martin’s Puss in Boots,  Douglas Anderson’s Medea, and Hugo Weisgall’s The Stronger.

In addition to contemporary American repertoire, Astrup has also been featured in British composer Oliver Knussen’s Hums and Songs of Winnie-the Pooh (Manhattan Chamber Orchestra) and Finn Høffding’s Kammermusik (Vinland Ensemble).  She has performed Schönberg’s String Quartet #2 with the Manhattan String Quartet. 

Astrup has been the featured soprano in more than a dozen Bach cantatas, and has appeared as soloist in the requiems by Fauré, Mozart, Duruflé, Brahms, Perkins, as well as choral works by Tavener, Britten, Vaughan Williams, Vivaldi, Bach, Haydn, Brahms, Mozart and numerous others.

Astrup’s recordings include Songs by Ruth Schonthal for Albany Records, songs by Otto Luening (Otto Luening: Orchestral Works), William Grant Still (An American Scene) and Alec Wilder (Such a Tender Night) with the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, each for Newport Classic, Cosmos Cantata by Seymour Barab and Kurt Vonnegut  for Kleos Records, and Ayres and Ballads of the British Isles, Barab’s Little Red Riding Hood, and Humperdinck’ Hansel and Gretel for Centaur Records.

Astrup earned her ME and Ed.D degrees in vocal pedagogy at Columbia University Teachers College. She has an MM in vocal performance from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. She a BM in vocal performance from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN where she also received certification in music education and earned a second major degree in English.  Astrup also did doctoral studies at Indiana University where she taught in the Department of Music Education.  She is currently professor emeritus of music at Western Connecticut State University, where she was formerly head of the voice and opera programs. Former president of Connecticut chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), she has also served as district governor and national adjudicator for the national association of teachers of singing.