Renowned baritone to give vocal recital at Northwestern

Stephen Swanson, professor of voice at the University of Iowa, will present a guest voice recital at Northwestern College on Friday, Oct. 6, at 7:30 p.m. in Christ Chapel. The concert, titled “Girls A-Z: A Hodgepodge of Songs,” is free, and the public is invited to attend.

Swanson, a baritone concert and opera singer, earned degrees from North Park College and Northwestern University. A versatile performer, Swanson sings works from the Baroque to the avant-garde in addition to standard baritone concert repertoire. His signature piece is Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana.” Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Iowa, Swanson was a full-time concert and opera singer for 24 years. In addition to teaching, Swanson now concentrates on presenting theme-based art song recitals. He has performed in Switzerland, Germany and Austria and has recorded two CDs with Albany Records.

Swanson will be accompanied by pianist Alan Huckleberry, a recognized, multi-faceted artist in classical music. Huckleberry has performed recitals, both as a soloist and chamber musician, in Europe, Australia, Central America, South America and the United States. An associate professor of piano at the University of Iowa, Huckleberry leads the institution’s piano pedagogy program and is a sought-after speaker on pedagogical topics for conferences around the world.

The recital will include 26 pieces, all of which include a woman’s name in the title and vary in stories and genres. The songs will be presented in alphabetical order by the women’s names, regardless of language, topic, historical period or musical style. Examples of the concert’s selections include “Amarilli, mia bella,” “Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair” and “Rosemonde.” The recital’s repertoire has been described as “a tribute to girls—through the alphabet, through the ages, across the world—silly, serious, sentimental.”