Northwestern music department to host organist, opera singer

Northwestern College will host organ soloist Dr. Daniel Huey for a guest recital on Saturday, Sept. 16, at 3 p.m. in Christ Chapel.

Huey, a former member of Northwestern’s music faculty, is an assistant professor of music theory and accompanying at Grambling State University in Grambling, Louisiana. He holds degrees in music theory from the University of Illinois, University of Iowa and University of Massachusetts–Amherst. His performance will feature Christ Chapel’s 45-stop, 56-rank tracker action pipe organ, constructed by world-renowned organ builder Jan Van Daalen.

On Sept. 29, Northwestern will welcome Stephen Swanson, baritone, and Dr. David Gompper, pianist, from the University of Iowa School of Music. Their piano and vocal recital will be held in Christ Chapel at 7:30 p.m.

Stephen Swanson is a concert and opera singer who serves on the vocal faculty at the University of Iowa. He completed an internship at the International Opera Studio of the Zurich Opera, following which he spent 19 years performing in opera houses in Switzerland, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands.

The director of the Center for New Music at the University of Iowa, Gompper studied at the Royal College of Music in London and earned a doctorate in music from the University of Michigan. He spent a year as a Fulbright Scholar in Russia, teaching, performing and conducting at the Moscow Conservatory. His compositions have been performed at Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center in New York, as well as the Konzerthaus in Vienna and the Bolshoi and Rachmaninoff halls in Moscow. Gompper is the recipient of an Academy Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in New York City and a Guggenheim Fellowship.

“Dr. Huey brings a high level of musicality and energy to the stage,” says Dr. Thomas Holm, music department chair. “Audiences absolutely love Stephen Swanson’s ability to express musical texts with nuance, and with accompaniment by David Gompper, this performance promises to be a thrilling experience.”

Both events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Blair Lansink at 712-707-7062 or blair.lansink@nwciowa.edu.

Northwestern’s music department has a tradition of dynamic performances, outstanding faculty and standout educational experiences in an environment committed to glorifying God. Students can audition for one or more of 10 ensembles, having the opportunity to tour around the world and perform in the award-winning Christ Chapel.