January 19, 2011

Nationally recognized singer and international pianist to perform at Harding

SEARCY, Ark. — Nancy Maria Balach, mezzo-soprano, and Amanda Johnston, piano, will perform Thursday, Jan. 20, at Harding University in the Reynolds Center Recital Hall at 7 p.m. The recital is free and open to the public.

The recital, “The Celebration of Canadian Song,” will feature Balach and Johnston as they perform representative works of Canadian art songs from the 20th and 21st centuries, including music by Keith Bissell, Jean Coulthard, Imant Raminsh, Harry Somers, Claude Vivier, John Weinzweig and Jocelyn Morlock.

Balach is an associate professor of music at University of Mississippi, where she teaches studio voice, diction and pedagogy. She has performed opera in New York and Ohio and regularly holds recitals across Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. She has also recorded lead roles for Albany Records, Newport Classic, New World Records, VOX Classics and Operetta Archives. Balach received her bachelor of fine arts in vocal performance from Carnegie Mellon University and her Master of Music in vocal performance from Manhattan School of Music.

Canadian collaborative pianist Amanda Johnston is an assistant professor of music at University of Mississippi, where she is head coach for the Opera Theatre, teaches advanced diction, and serves as a vocal coach to students at the undergraduate and graduate level. She is also a faculty member of a summer program in Austria and has performed in Canada, the United States, Germany, France and Scotland. Johnston was educated at Queen's University at Kingston, the Hochschule für Musik "Franz Liszt" in Weimar, Germany, and the Janáček Academy of Music in Brno, Czech Republic.

For more information, contact the music department at 501-279-4343.