Guest Voice Recital: Eric Rieger, tenor

Renowned tenor Dr. Eric Rieger and his collaborative pianist JJ Penna for a performance of Schubert's Die schöne Müllerin Thursday March 5th at 7:30pm in Wilmot followed by a vocal master class Friday, March 6th 12-2pm in Wilmot.

 

Tenor Eric Rieger’s international singing career has led him to solo performances with the opera
companies of Zürich, Luzern, Basel (Switzerland), Trier, Regensburg, Kaiserslautern,
Bremerhaven, Osnabrück, Nordhausen, Konstanz (Germany), Novara, Treviso (Italy), as well as
Zomeropera Alden Biesen (Belgium), Citizens Theatre (Scotland), and Everyman Palace Theatre
(Ireland). In concert, he has appeared with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Basel
Sinfonietta, St. John’s Orchestra (London), Luxembourg “Les Musiciens” Orchestra, Trier
Philharmonic, and at Carnegie Hall, the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, the Claudio Monteverdi
Festival (Italy), the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden (London), and the Concertgebouw
(Amsterdam). Frequent performances have included Handel’s Messiah, J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew
Passion, St. John Passion, Magnificat and many Cantatas, Mozart’s Requiem, Mendelssohn’s
Elijah, Rossini’s Messe Solennelle, Orff’s Carmina Burana, and Britten’s Serenade, among
others. A passionate recitalist, Dr. Rieger has performed with Lyric Fest in Philadelphia, Market
Square Concerts in Harrisburg, St. John’s Smith Square in London, and many other venues
across the U.S. and Europe. His solo debut album Poet’s Journey, featuring Britten song cycles
with pianist J.J. Penna, is available on the Affetto/Naxos record label, and he is featured on the
Naxos International recording James Whitbourn: Carolae with the Grammy nominated
Westminster Williamson Voices. He is Coordinator of Vocal Studies and Director of Opera at
Western Washington University, having previously taught at Westminster Choir College, Texas
Tech University, and Nazareth College. Additionally, he served for several years as Assistant
Director and Diction Coach of the CoOPERAtive Program. Dr. Rieger is a graduate of the
Eastman School of Music (DMA, BM) and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (MM).

J.J. Penna has performed in recital with such notable singers as Kathleen Battle, Harolyn
Blackwell, David Daniels, Denyce Graves, Roberta Peters, Florence Quivar, Andreas Scholl,
Sharon Sweet, Christopher Trakas, and Ying Huang, in venues throughout the United States,
Europe, the Far East, and South America. He has held fellowships at prestigious festivals such as
Tanglewood, Chautauqua Institution, Banff Center for the Arts, Norfolk, the Music Academy of
the West, and San Francisco Opera Center’s Merola Program. He received his training under
Martin Katz, Margo Garrett, and Diane Richardson. Penna devotes much of his time to the
teaching of art song literature, cultivating and championing a rich and unique legacy at
Westminster Choir College of Rider University for over 25 years. Currently, he is on the
faculties of the Steans Institute for Young Artists, The Juilliard School, and joined the faculty of
the New England Conservatory of Music in Fall of 2019.

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