With her “blazing tone” (New York Times) and “voice of molten gold” (Toronto Star), internationally renowned soprano Christine Goerke “can create a character as she sings, linking musical phrases to form dramatic paragraphs” (New Yorker).
On April 28, Goerke and pianist Craig Terry will present an intimate recital at Washington University in St. Louis as part of the 2024 Great Artists Series.
Titled “A Celebration of the American Diva,” the program will open with Richard Wagner’s “Dich, teure Halle,” a joyous aria about the return of a wandering love, from the opera “Tannhäuser.” Next will be a group of five lieder by Richard Strauss, songs by Johannes Brahms, and “Du bist der Lenz,” Wagner’s passionate ode to spring, from “Die Walküre.”
After intermission, the program will shift gears to highlight American popular music, beginning with “Letters to Evelyn from George” by Alan Louis Smith, the renowned pianist and composer who died last December; and “Half Minute Songs,” a collection of 12 very short works by Carrie Jacobs Bond. Rounding out the program will be a selection of works from the 1940s, by Edwin McArthur, Ted Shapiro, Milton Delugg and others.
Christine Goerke
A “beacon of brilliance” (New York Magazine) and “true heir to the daunting dramatic soprano repertory” (New York Times), Goerke has appeared in many of the world’s most prestigious opera houses, with career-making roles as Brünnhilde with the Canadian Opera Company, Dyer’s Wife with New York’s Metropolitan Opera and Elektra with London’s Royal Opera.
Goerke also has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the BBC Proms, among many others. Her recording of Vaughan Williams’ “A Sea Symphony,” with Robert Spano and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, won Grammy awards for best classical recording and best choral performance. Other releases include a Grammy-nominated rendition, with Robert Shaw, of Dvorak’s “Stabat Mater.”
Other honors include the 2015 Musical American Vocalist of the Year Award and the 2017 Opera News Award. Goerke currently serves as associate artistic director of the Detroit Opera.
Read the full biography here.
Tickets and related events
The performance will begin at 7 p.m. Sunday, April 28, in WashU’s E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall. Tickets are $40, or $37 for WashU faculty and staff, and $15 for students and children. The E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall is located in the 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., at the intersection with Delmar Boulevard. Tickets are available through the Edison Theatre Box Office, 314-935-6543. For more information, visit music.wustl.edu.
In addition, from noon to 1:30 p.m. Monday, April 29, Goerke will lead a free masterclass in the E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall. Read more information here.
Great Artists Series
The Great Artists Series hosts intimate recitals with some of the brightest stars on the contemporary concert stage. Goerke’s performance concludes the 2024 series. The 2025 lineup will be announced later this spring.
