Guest/Faculty Recital: Louise Toppin, soprano; David Heid, piano, with Fred Raimi, cello

Art songs by African American composers. Louise Toppin, finalist in the Munich International Competition and winner of the Metropolitan Opera regional auditions, has received critical acclaim for her operatic, orchestral, and oratorio performances in the US and throughout the world. She has appeared in Carnegie Hall (Weill Recital Hall), Lincoln Center, Merkin Hall, Licieu Theatre in Barcelona, and the International Albeniz Festival in Camprodon, Spain. She is Professor and Area Head of Voice in the UNC-Chapel Hill Department of Music. David Heid comes to North Carolina after a successful career in New York City as a vocal coach/accompanist. Among the many well-known singers he has performed with are Karen Beardsley, Susan Dunn, Adria Firestone, Carolyn James and Christine Weidinger. He made his Lincoln Center debut in Alice Tully Hall in 1994. In the summer of 1997, he was heard at both the Darling Harbor Convention Center and the historic Towne Hall in Sydney, Australia. His coaching clients include past Grammy and Tony Award winners. Heid is currently a staff accompanist and teaches piano at Duke University as well as being in demand throughout the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area as a collaborative artist. ** LOUISE TOPPIN will also give a lecture on Sept. 18 and a vocal master class on Nov. 6 **