Suna Gunther, assistant professor of voice in the Glenn Korff School of Music, will present a faculty recital titled “This is Us” at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 24 at St. Mark’s on the Campus in Lincoln. The recital is free and open to the public.
Gunther will be joined on the program by Thomas Gunther, baritone, and Hyerim Song, piano.
“We are so pleased to welcome Dr. Hyerim Song from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music to collaborate with us,” Suna Gunther said. “Dr. Song had the idea to shape our program around the perspectives of our loved ones. So, each set of music will be introduced by an audio clip of an interview: my husband Thom and I interviewing our parents, our kids and one another. We picked music inspired by the answers to those questions. We hope that this concert is as fun and personal for the audience as it is for us.”
Suna Gunther’s recent performances include the roles of Musetta (“La Bohème”), the Mother (“Amahl and the Night Visitors”), Flora (“La Traviata”), and Dorabella (“Cosí fan Tutte”). Gunther is the director of Soo Theatre’s Opera Apprenticeship Program in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, each summer. She is currently commissioning and preparing a collaborative series of micro-operas to premiere in Spring 2024, arranging a collection of Turkish Art Songs, and conducting research on the use if improvisation in the vocal studio. Gunther received her Bachelor’s degree in vocal performance and instrumental music education from Northwestern University and her Masters and Doctoral degrees from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.
Thomas Gunther (M.M. 2008) was most recently seen as Scarpia (“Tosca”) and Marcello (“La Bohème”) with Soo Opera Theater and is preparing future performances of Schaunard with First Coast Opera and Amelia Island Opera. Gunther earned his degrees from Simpson College, University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. He has completed his doctoral coursework from the University of Kentucky. Gunther is currently on the voice faculty of the Omaha Conservatory of Music and is an adjunct professor at Doane University.
Song is a visiting assistant professor and postdoctoral resident scholar in chamber and collaborative music at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. She earned her Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in collaborative piano from the Manhattan School of Music. Song was associated with Martina Arroyo Foundation, one of the principal voice programs in the United States, where she coached and played for young talented singers for a number of operas and opera scenes. She has also been a vocal coach and pianist at Pittsburgh Festival Opera, New Opera NYC, New York Summer Music Festival, Soo Theatre in Sault Ste. Marie in Michigan, Euro Music Festival in Halle, Germany, INSIEM Opera in Seoul and Seoul Metropolitan Opera. In 2023, she joined Chautauqua Institution Opera Conservatory serving as a vocal coach and pianist.
