Sopranos take center stage at Bienen School of Music

• Renowned soprano Sondra Radvanovsky leads the next Tichio-Finnie Vocal Master Class on Jan. 30 

• Voice and opera students perform a modernized Franz Lehár’s “The Merry Widow” in February 

• Media invited to cover 

EVANSTON, Ill. --- The Bienen School of Music offers an exciting lineup of voice and opera events this winter, featuring renowned artists and unique interdisciplinary performances.  

Acclaimed soprano Sondra Radvanovsky will lead a public vocal master class, sharing her expertise in Verdi and bel canto singing. Soprano and scientist Heidi Moss Erickson will present a recital-lecture blending music, neuroscience and personal storytelling, recounting her inspiring recovery from a debilitating cranial nerve injury. 

Later in the season, Bienen hosts soprano Karen Slack, celebrated for her artistry and advocacy for Black classical musicians, in a dynamic recital with pianist Mark Markham. Additionally, Northwestern University Opera Theater will stage Franz Lehár’s “The Merry Widow,” a comedic opera, updated to present-day Paris with new English dialogue, featuring a mix of romance, humor and charm. 

Tickets for all events are available online, by phone at 847-467-4000, or at the Bienen School Ticket Office at 50 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston. 

Program details follow: 

Sondra Radvanovsky Vocal Master Class  
Part of the Tichio-Finnie Vocal Master Class Series  
Thursday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. 
Galvin Recital Hall, 70 Arts Circle Drive 

From the title roles in “Rusalka,” “Lucrezia Borgia” and “Manon Lescaut” to Roxane in “Cyrano de Bergerac,” soprano Sondra Radvanovsky is recognized the world over for the depth and color of her voice and her versatility across a range of repertoire. She is widely regarded as one of the finest living Verdi sopranos and is among the world’s premier interpreters of the bel canto style. In this master class, she coaches Bienen School voice and opera program students.   

Heidi Moss Erickson and Kurt Erickson: Widening the Radius  
Monday, Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m. 
Galvin Recital Hall, 70 Arts Circle Drive 

 In 2007, soprano and scientist Heidi Moss Erickson suffered a cranial nerve injury that nearly ended her performing career. Determined to retrain and perform again, she harnessed her research background to embark on a journey toward self-rehabilitation. Her discoveries about the connections between the brain, music and vocalization have allowed her to see singing in a new light and motivated her to educate new generations of singers through her insights. Together with her husband — composer, pianist and pedagogue Kurt Erickson — she weaves together music, neuroscience, literature and personal narratives for a reflection on how our stories shape the art we create.  

Karen Slack, soprano and Mark Markham, piano: “Dream Variations”  
Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m. 
Galvin Recital Hall, 70 Arts Circle Drive 

Karen Slack has performed with major opera companies and symphonies worldwide. Currently, Slack is the Lyric Unlimited Artist-In-Residence at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. In July 2024, she released a new recording, “Beyond the Years: Unpublished Songs of Florence Price,” with pianist Michelle Cann — recently nominated for a Grammy Award. 

Joining her for this performance is pianist Mark Markham, whose collaborations have included vocalists Jessye Norman, Elizabeth DeShong and others. Together they present “Dream Variations,” a recital including music by Undine Smith Moore, Gustav Mahler, George Gershwin and Nina Simone. Presented in collaboration with Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Lyric Unlimited.  

Franz Lehár’s “The Merry Widow”  
Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 27-March 1 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 2 at 3 p.m. 
Cahn Auditorium, 600 Emerson Street 
Jen Pitt, stage director; Patrick Furrer, conductor; Joachim Schamberger, director of opera  

Count Danilo’s family had forbidden him to marry the beautiful but impoverished Hanna, although they adored each other. Now, circumstance has made her the richest widow in Pontevedro, but the Count hesitates to declare his love, fearing Hanna will think he is only interested in her new fortune. What’s a “merry widow” to do? This staging takes Franz Lehár’s ravishing melodies to a world of parties, fantasy, intrigue and illusion in present-day Paris, where all is not as it seems. Performed in German, new dialogues by Jen Pitt in English.