World class soprano to perform in Naperville

Internationally acclaimed soprano Cindy Halgrimson-Walzer, a native of Naperville, will perform in concert later this month with the Naperville Municipal Band.

The free concert begins at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 30, at North Central College's Wentz Concert Hall, 171 E. Chicago Ave. The doors open at 2:30 p.m.

A graduate of Naperville Central High School, Halgrimson-Walzer also attended College of DuPage and Northern Illinois University.

While a student at NIU, she made her debut as a soloist at the Grant Park Festival in Chicago under the direction of conductor Thomas Peck. She went on to the National Opera Company in Raleigh, North Carolina, and spent more than two years performing 250 concerts across 32 states.

Entering vocal competitions around the world, she won the Eleanor Steber Award and the Verdi competition in Busseto, Italy, where she then studied with Maestro Carlo Bergonzi and Maestro Renata Tebaldi.

Returning to the United States, she sang jingles for Pillsbury, McDonald's and the Beef Board in Chicago; was awarded the leading role in "Lucia Di Lammermoor" in Sacramento and Houston; performed in the "Ballad of Baby Doe" in the Bronx Opera in New York City; and sang the role of the Queen of the Night in Mozart's "Die Zauberfote" in Shreveport and Des Moines.

Moving to Europe to sing the role of the Queen, Halgrimson-Walzer also performed other roles including Constanza in Mozart's "The Abduction from the Seraglio" in Cologne, Berlin and Milan, and 21 different "Magic Flute" productions in Frankfurt, Vienna, St. Gallen, Switzerland and Zurich.

She accepted a position at the Duetsche Opera in Berlin, where she sang a variety of operas ranging from Handle to Wagner for 11 years.

She's also made several recordings, including "Don Giovanni" with EMI and Maestro Roger Norrington, Beethoven's "Missa Solemnis" with Norrington, Beethoven's "9th Symphony" with Maestro Sion Rattle, "The Protagonist" by Kurt Weill with Maestro Maucceri, and "The Creation" with Maestro Martin Hasselbock.

After 35 years singing opera around the world, she now sings to raise money for many worthy causes, including Habitat for Humanity, Women in Crisis in Berlin, and Feed My Starving Children.

The Naperville Municipal Band has been entertaining the people of Naperville and the surrounding suburbs for more than 150 years. The band has grown from a small group of dedicated musicians whose vision brought them together in 1859 to its current 100-member roster.

Unlike many municipal bands, the Naperville band rehearses and performs year-round. During the main part of the season, the band performs outdoor concerts Thursday nights during the summer at Naperville's Central Park.

For details, visit napervilleband.org.