NC Minnesota News

On March 31, BSU’s Department of Music will host internationally-renowned artists and Louisiana State University instructors Elena Lacheva and Dr. Brandon Hendrickson for a recital called “Heaven and Earth” as part of the Bemidji Concert Series.

Performing alongside Bemidji State’s Dr. Jennifer Olson, assistant professor of music, the trio will perform “La Chanson d’Ève” (The Songs of Eve) by Gabriel Fauré and “Chansons gaillardes” (Ribald Songs) by Francis Poulenc.

The recital begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Carl O. Thompson Recital Hall at BSU’s Bangsberg Fine Arts Complex.

Tickets are available at the door. Cost is $20 for adults, $15 for seniors (62+), and free for K-12 students. BSU and Northwest Technical College students can attend for free with their student IDs.

About Elena Lacheva 

Bulgarian-born Ms. Lacheva holds the Professional-in-Residence position at Louisiana State University and continues to serve as the Program Director of the Collaborative Piano Institute – the summer program for current and potential collaborative pianists she co-created in 2017.

Lacheva is a member of the International Keyboard Collaborative Arts Society (IKCAS) and was a presenter at CollabFest 2020, the Society’s annual conference. In 2019 she joined the New Orleans Opera production team for the productions of Rigoletto and Carmen, and will return for La Bohème in the spring of 2022.

Before joining the LSU faculty in 2017, Lacheva was a vocal coach for the Moores Opera Center at the University of Houston and assisted with several productions at Opera in the Heights.

As a Studio Artist of the Houston Grand Opera Studio, she was involved in the rehearsal process and performances of Wagner’s Das Rheingold, Weinberg’s The Passenger (in Houston, and at the Lincoln Center Festival in New York) among others, and performed extensively with the Studio singers in recitals in Texas and Louisiana.

About Dr. Brandon Hendrickson

American baritone Brandon Hendrickson is hailed by Opera News Magazine as having a “mellifluous” and “beautiful baritone.” Hendrickson has interpreted standard and contemporary opera, musical theater, concert work and recital repertoire on domestic and international stages. Recently, Hendrickson portrayed the role of 1st Mate in Des Moines Metro Opera’s Emmy Award Winning Production of Benjamin Britten’s Billy Budd. Additionally, he played the role of Captain Smith in an American Prize in Musical Theater First Place Prize Winning production of Titanic: The Musical with Bob Jones University.

Hendrickson has performed with many nationally recognized opera companies around the United States including the Des Moines Metro Opera, Utah Festival Opera, Annapolis Opera and The Dallas Opera. His performances on the operatic stage have included key roles such as the title role in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Conte Almaviva and Figaro in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Guglielmo in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Papageno in Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Doctor Bartolo in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Marcello and Schaunard in Puccini’s La Bohème, the title role in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Falke in Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss.

About Dr. Jennifer Olson

Jennifer Olson, soprano, holds her masters and doctorate degrees in voice from the University of Michigan and the University of Minnesota respectively. Performing and touring throughout the Midwest as a soloist and recitalist, she specializes in French repertoire, chamber music and oratorio. In 2020 Jennifer started an online educational video series called BSU Sings! for middle and high school choral students that now reaches over 250 programs across 12 states with a viewership of over 20,000.

Some of her most notable performances include appearances as soprano soloist in the Oratorio Society of Minnesota’s 2015 production of Honegger’s King David, soprano soloist in Händel’s Messiah with the Oratorio Society of Minnesota and additionally with the Rochester Symphony Orchestra and Chorale (Minn.). She also appeared as the soprano soloist in the Minnesota premiere of Frank Ticheli’s Songs of Love and Life with the University of Minnesota’s Wind Ensemble and Craig Kirchhoff. She played the role of “Barbarina” in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro at the Bay View Music Festival and the role of “Tiny” in Benjamin Britten’s Paul Bunyan with Vocal Essence and Philip Brunelle. In 2016 she performed with the Fargo-Moorhead Opera Company in the role of “Papagena” in Mozart’s The Magic Flute.

Original source can be found here.