October 8th: 'A Celebration of Women' Recital at Coker College

Coker College will present “A Celebration of Women” recital at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8 in the Watson Theater of the Elizabeth Boatwright Coker Performing Arts Center. Admission is free and open to the public.

Performers include soprano Serena Hill-LaRoche, assistant professor of music and coorditor of vocal studies at Coker, soprano Tina Milhorn Stallard, associate professor of voice at the University of South Carolina, and pianist Lynn Kompass, associate professor at the University of South Carolina.

“‘A Celebration of Women’ is a collaborative recital that was conceived as part of the Opera-tunity Foundation’s Season of Women,” said Hill-LaRoche. “There is such a wealth of music written by women.  It is still a novelty to see these composers highlighted in standard vocal literature. I feel honored to perform these musical treasures with some of my closest and most talented female colleagues here in South Carolina. This is a concert not to be missed!”

Hill-LaRoche, Stallard and Kompass will perform pieces by composers such as Pauline Viardot-García, Lili Boulanger, Libby Larsen, André Previn, Susan Botti, Abbie Betinis and Lori Laitman.

Hill-LaRoche has performed concerts with the South Carolina Philharmonic, Lexington Philharmonic and Firenze Lirica. She has sung major roles with Opera at USC, Opera in the Ozarks, Studio Lirico, Greenville Light Opera and Central Florida Lyric Opera. She was a 2003 finalist in the Southeast Regional Metropolitan Opera Auditions, a 2003 Bizet Award winner for the Orpheus National Vocal Competition, a 2006 artist of the year with FBN Productions, Inc. and a 2008 and 2012 regional finalist for NATS Artist Award. Hill-LaRoche has been a member of the Coker faculty since 2004. She earned her degrees from the University of South Carolina and the University of North Alabama.

Stallard has performed with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra, Johnson City Symphony and Louisville Orchestra. Stallard has sung major roles with Opera Omaha, Central City Opera, Opera Theatre of Lucca, Cincinnati Opera and Kentucky Opera. Stallard was the Annemarie Gertz Prize winner in the national finals of The Artist Award Auditions of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, district winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, a semifinalist of the Eleanor McCollum Competition and winner of the Grace Moore Vocal Competition. She holds degrees from the University of Cincinnati, the University of Kentucky and Belmont University.

Kompass has performed in various venues such as Weill Recital Hall, Nicholas Roerich Museum, Strings in the Mountain Festival, Harold Washington Library and North Carolina Museum of Art. Kompass has worked as a coach at Festival de Musique de St-Barthelemy, Chicago Opera theater, Aspen Opera Theater and Opera Brasil. Kompass holds graduate degrees from the University of Michigan.

For more information on the event, contact Hill-LaRoche at 843-383-8061 or shill@coker.edu.