2024-2025 Season

THE GERALD PERMAN FUND FOR EMERGING ARTISTS DEBUT RECITAL

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2024 at 7:30 PM

This young South African tenor splashed onto the international opera scene as a semifinalist in the 2019 Neue Stimmen International Singing Competition and the Voice of South Africa International Singing Competition. Soon after he joined Lyric Opera of Chicago’s distinguished Ryan Opera Center, and during the 2022–2023 season earned rapturous reviews for his role debuts as Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni) and Jupiter (Semele) with Wolf Trap Opera.

A captivating blend of musical traditions, featuring a rich tapestry of American and African folk songs alongside timeless classics from the Italian tenor repertoire. Audiences will be treated to the evocative melodies of Donizetti, Rossini, Bellini, and Tosti, showcasing Hallam’s versatility and depth as a performer.

TUESDAY, JANUARY  14, 2025 at 7:30 PM

The cornerstone of Hankey’s program is Dichterliebe (A Poet’s Love) by Robert Schumann, a set of 16 cathartic songs that reflect on Schumann’s separation from his bride, Clara. This jewel of German lieder sits between Poulenc’s masterful 3 Chanson de Federico García Lorca and songs by Satie, Schönberg, Trenet, Weill, and Porter.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY  20, 2025 at 7:30 PM

In this sweeping program centered around the beauty found in nature, Nussbaum Cohen presents a wide range of repertoire never before sung by countertenor. The program includes music by Handel, Korngold, Brahms, Price, and Adams, alongside a newly composed song set by Jake Heggie. Robert Schumann’s song cycle, Liederkreis Op. 39, which Schumann wrote to his wife was “my most romantic music yet, with much of you in it,” rounds out this moving and memorable evening.

FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2025 at 7:30 PM

The Power and the Glory explores diverse perspectives on colonial history through music and poetry of the last 150 years. From Kamala Sankaram’s rage-inspired “The Far Shore” to Zubaida Azezi and Edo Frenkel’s Uyghur song “Mitiz Meshrep,” the artists encourage their audience to explore uncomfortable issues of the past and present with empathy and understanding. Other composers on the program include Valcarcel, Messiaen, Montsalvatge, Mahler, Weill, and Schoenberg.