WAKE FOREST SECREST SEASON CONCLUDES WITH SINGER ISABEL BAYRAKDARIAN
By Pam Barrett
March 8, 2006
WFU News Service, NC
March 9 2006
Wake Forest University’s Secrest Artists Series will conclude its
2005-2006 season with a concert featuring internationally renowned,
Armenian-Canadian soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian at 7:30 p.m. March 30
in Brendle Recital Hall.
A pre-performance talk with Richard Heard, associate professor of
music at Wake Forest, will be held at 6:40 p.m. in Scales Fine Arts
Center, Room 201, adjacent to Brendle Recital Hall. Heard will discuss
the nature of opera singing and specific pieces from Bayrakdarian’s
program.
Considered one of the foremost rising opera stars of today,
Bayrakdarian is known for capturing the hearts of audiences with what
critics call her “bell-like” coloratura (a technique of fast, high
singing with accompanying trills and embellishments) and “sparkling”
on-stage presence.
Bayrakdarian gained critical acclaim during the 2003-2004 season for
her roles as Susanna in “Le Nozze di Figaro,” Teresa in “Benvenuto
Cellini” and Leila in “Les Pecheurs de Perles.” Her voice is also
featured on the Grammy Award-winning soundtrack of “Lord of the Rings:
The Two Towers.”
This past season, Bayrakdarian was a featured performer at the opening
night gala at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. She has debuted
with the Chicago and Montreal symphonies and will participate in the
2006 Salzburg Festival in August.
Tickets are $16 general admission and $12 for non-Wake Forest students
and senior citizens. They are available through the University Theatre
Box Office at 336-758-5295.