Short of sending chocolates and flowers, we believe we have an even sweeter Valentine’s Day treat for you! Our gift is a playful French love song, shared from the heart of a notable BMC award winner, through our video series, BMC Connects!
Ten years ago, pianist Madeline Slettedahl dazzled audiences when she won the top prize of the WWU Competition in honor of Virginia Glover. While studying under Prof. Jeffrey Gilliam at WWU, she premiered Roger Briggs’ Willows, then headed to Rice University for her masters’ degree. Many remember her exhilarating performance when she came home to BMC for our Centennial Gala Concert.
Madeline won First Prize in the prestigious Marilyn Horne Song Competition in 2017, and joined the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Ryan Center artist training program as ensemble pianist. There, she worked closely with singers — coaching standard repertoire and participating in masterclasses with visiting artists such as Renée Fleming, Lawrence Brownlee and Thomas Hampson. Now on the music staff at the Lyric Opera, her credits include Siegfried, The Pearl Fishers, and Il Barbiere di Siviglia, all directed by Sir Andrew Davis.
We want to keep it short and sweet, so please visit Madeline’s website https://www.madelineslettedahl.com/ for the latest news and inspiring links to several performances.
Now here is Madeline’s Valentine’s gift to you: her arrangement of Charles Trenet’s jazzy love song, Boum, with mezzo-soprano Kayleigh Decker (https://youtu.be/_18HtBrwx1Q). We can’t think of a better way to express how much we appreciate you supporting music in our community – and talented youth!
As we mark BMC’s 105th birthday this week, our thoughts turn to you with the anticipation of welcoming you to live programs again soon!
