Aspiring young singers take on Broadway classics

Soiree Lyrique will present three concerts in July highlighting aspiring young classical singers.

The first event will be held at 1 p.m. after the Fourth of July Parade at DuPage Court in Elgin. The performance will be moved to Al's Café in case of rain. Music selections will include excerpts from "Phantom of the Opera," "The Sound of Music," "Les Misérables," "The King & I," "Man of la Mancha," "Guys & Dolls," as well as patriotic songs and songs by American composers.

An outdoor concert, "A Walk on Broadway," will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, July 10, on the Terrace of Snuffy's Villa, 17N405 Oak Ave., in West Dundee. The show will feature excerpts from movies and Broadway shows such as "Oklahoma!," "Miss Saigon," "Carousel," "Show Boat," "Sound of Music," "Jekyll & Hyde," "Annie," "Phantom of the Opera," "Secret Garden," "My Fair Lady" and more. Bring your own lawn chair or make a reservation for the seating area. Performance will be moved to the music room of Snuffy's Villa in case of rain.

"Opera Scenes," the grand finale of the Young Artist Program, will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, July 17, at the Evangelical Covenant Church, 1565 Larkin Ave. in Elgin. The Fox Valley Rising Stars will perform excerpts from "Don Giovanni," "Marriage of Figaro," "Porgy & Bess," "La Rondine," "Lucia di Lammermoor," "Macbeth" and "La Bohème," as well as famous Italian songs.

There are no ticket sales for these events; suggested donation is $15 or $30 per person.

Soiree Lyrique is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization. For reservations, call (224) 595-1526 or email ssior@soireelyrique.org. For a map of the locations, visit www.soireelyrique.org.

Participants for these events will include:

• Baritone Keanon Kyles who was recently featured on ABC 7 Chicago, ABC World News, CNN, Good Morning America and Windy City Live;

• Soprano Oana Odean (Chicago), who performed Maria in "West Side Story," Hodel in "Fiddler on the Roof," Lily in "The Secret Garden," and the novice in Suor Angelica at Opera West;

• Ronald Spriggs (Elgin and Chicago), who has been heard singing the national anthem for the City of Elgin and was featured soloist with the Elgin Theatre Company production of "Rent";

• Baritone Jim Hinton of Elgin, who has appeared as soloist with Elgin Opera, Elgin Choral Union, and Elgin Symphony, Light Opera Works, Whirlwind Performance Company and the Illinois Theatre Centre;

• Soprano Valerie Meachum of Elgin, who was last heard singing songs from the boys in the "Backwards Broadway" revue at Side Street Studio Arts, and also appeared in "Little Women" (GreenRoom Productions), "Jekyll & Hyde" (Summer Place Theatre), and "Beauty and the Beast' (Magical Starlight Theatre);

• Soprano Nikki Krzebiot of Chicago, who has been featured in "Spring Awakening," "Ragtime," "A Little Night Music," "The Merry Widow," "The Ballad of Baby Doe," "Street Scene," "Hansel and Gretel," "Le Nozee di Figaro" and "Albert Herring;"

• Tenor Federico Caballero of South Elgin, who has recently been heard at the Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin and at the second annual Music Camp Show at St. John United Church;

• 18-year-old Lauren Parnell of Elburn, who recently sang the national anthem for the City of Elgin;

• 12-year-old Blake Buczkiewicz of Huntley, who recently appeared as Michael Banks in "Mary Poppins" at the Woodstock Opera House;

• 11-year-old Julia Smitendorf of Lake in the Hills, soprano and pianist who won first place at the 2013, 2014 and 2015 Granquist Music Competition in Geneva;

• 12-year-old soprano Kaitlyn Ziebell of Huntley, who has performed in the middle school play "A Cowboy in King Arthur's Court," as well as the musical "The Lion King Jr."; and

• 8-year-old soprano Brooklyn Grunauer of Huntley, a new student of Solange Sior the youngest participant.

Accompanists for these events will be pianist Rosemary Schroeder of St. Charles, who received her doctoral fellowship in opera directing, organ, conducting, and church music from Northwestern Graduate School of Music, and Chiayi Lee of Batavia, currently the adjunct piano faculty and staff accompanist at Harper College.

Soirée Lyrique prides itself in training, nurturing and launching young artists through its Young Artist Program - The Fox Valley Rising Stars. Singers are selected through a live audition. They are chosen because of their talent regardless of race, gender, age education or disability. Selected participants are coached individually and receive training in preparation for live performances.