Music alum Barrett Radziun stars in lead role in New York opera

March 9—Northwestern music major Barrett Radziun ’10, will appear in a lead role in the world premiere of Four Sisters, an opera in one act by composer Elena Langer and librettist John Lloyd Davies. Performances will be held March 9 and 11 in the Sosnoff Theater at Bard College in New York.  The opera is based on Anton Chekhov’s play Three Sisters, and it features a cast of seven singers. In addition to Radziun’s performance in Four Sisters, the opera double-bill features a fully staged production of Jean-Philippe Rameaus’s one-act opera Nélée et Myrthis. Marc Verzatt of Bard College and the Yale School of Music directs the production, and James Bagwell conducts the Bard College Conservatory Orchestra.   After one of Radziun’s 2010 performances at the Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute, Cleveland Classical described him as “brilliant in his solo performances…” He continues to develop his musical skills by pursuing a Master of Music degree in vocal performance at the Bard College Conservatory of Music. The prestigious Graduate Vocal Arts Program at Bard College consists of thirteen singers, each of whom work closely with the program’s artistic director, world-renowned soprano and four-time Grammy award winner Dawn Upshaw.   While at Northwestern Radziun studied under Associate Professor of Music Carol Eikum.