Pacer Photo Credits / Erika Obrien
On the evening of September 12, world-renowned opera singer Kallen Esperian took the stage accompanied by Gary Beard at the Harriet Fulton Theatre located in the Fine Arts building of UT Martin. The stellar performance was part of Grammy-nominated producer Ed Sargent’s performance series and presented by UT Martin Music. The program was live-streamed for most of the world to hear the remarkable voice of Esperian, and it consisted of 14 arias (songs) ranging from English to Italian. Not only did Kallen Esperian belt out captivating vocals, but she also took the audience on a journey with each piece as she brought life and storytelling to every single one.
Esperian started her opera career by taking voice lessons at the age of 16, then went to the University of Illinois as a vocal performance major. She went on to win the 1985 Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition and during her early 20s she became one of the world’s leading sopranos. She has performed at the Vienna Staatsoper, the Royal Opera House, Munich’s Bayerische Staatsoper, Berlin’s Deutsche Oper, and the Lyric Opera of Chicago, to name a few. She sang for U.S. President George Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Princess Diana of Wales, and many more notable leaders. Kallen Esperian is not only one of the most profound opera singers of all time, but she is also a record holder for the greatest number of curtain calls with a total of 17. In addition, she is a recipient of many prestigious awards and is establishing a private voice studio.
The performance by Kallen at UT Martin was truly a graceful experience that all students, faculty, and the world got to enjoy. Kallen Esperian not only left her mark on the stage, but she did off stage as well. She got a chance to work with UT Martin students in the Fine Arts program, which she deemed as inspirational. Her advice that she gives aspiring musicians is to “honor your gift and take good care of yourself and your gift.”
For more upcoming events, visit runway.utm.edu/organization/music/events
For more information about the department of music or to make a donation to the Ed Sargent Guest Artist series, contact the department at 731-881-7402 or visit https://www.utm.edu/departments/music/.
Donate to the Ed Sargent Guest Artist Series at give.utm.edu/edsargent
