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WIU Opera Workshop Hosts International Opera Singer

March 8, 2021

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MACOMB, IL - In honor of Black History Month in February, Penelope Shumate, director of the Western Illinois University (WIU) School of Music Opera Theatre, hosted international opera singer tenor Chauncey Packer, via Zoom. The WIU opera workshop students that attended Packer's discussion gained insight into his professional career.

In addition, Millikin University's opera workshop class joined to visit with the exciting American tenor, originally from Alabama.

Packer made his debut with the Metropolitan Opera in New York in the roles of Robbins and Crabman and the cover of Sportin' Life, in the 2020 opera Porgy and Bess. The opera was composed by Gershwin and first performed in 1935. It features an African-American cast and has remained one of the most frequently performed and well-known American operas worldwide.

This season Packer was engaged to return to the Metropolitan Opera as Howard Boucher in Dead Man Walking, and to perform his signature role of Sportin' Life in Porgy and Bess with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra Hamburg, and also Robbins & Crab Man in Porgy and Bess with Greensboro Opera. Unfortunately these performances were all postponed due to COVID.

In Packer's signature role as Sportin' Life, the Atlanta Journal proclaimed, "Here Packer was the complete entertainer." He performed the role for his 2016 debut at Teatro alla Scala, his 2008 debut with Paris' Opera Comique, as well as with Tulsa Opera, Atlanta Opera, Opera Birmingham, San Francisco Opera and a tour throughout Europe with New York Harlem Theatre.

Packer's other recent engagements include performing as the tenor soloist in Mozart's Requiem with the Colour of Music Festival, concerts with the Saint-George International Music Festival, Harrisburg Symphony, Sportin' Life with New York Harlem's Porgy and Bess at Teatro Regio in Torino, Italy, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly at Soo Theatre Project in Michigan, Cavaradossi in Tosca and Jo the Loiterer in Virgil Thomson's The Mother of Us All, both with Chautauqua Opera.

Packer has also performed with Nashville Opera, Mobile Opera, Pensacola Opera, Utah festival Opera, Grand Rapids Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Opera Pacific and New Orleans Opera. He has sung the roles of Rodolfo (La bohème), Alfredo (La Traviata), Pong (Turandot), the title role in Werther, Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly), Sam (Susannah), Ruggero (La Rondine), Dr. Blind (Die Fledermaus), Tamino (The Magic Flute), Arturo (Lucia di Lammermoor), Amon (Akhnaten), Sportin' Life, Mingo, and Robbins (Porgy and Bess).

Packer's discussion included his recent met performances - the vocal, dramatic, and physical demands of a flourishing professional career performing with the world's top opera companies and orchestras. He discussed healthy vocal technique, tips on staying physically and mentally healthy, advice for young singers exploring their voice and opportunities to perform and how to prepare music. He emphasized the importance of believing in oneself and maintaining perseverance and discipline to find your unique talents and gifts as a singer.

To learn more about tenor Packer, visit ada-artists.com/tenor-chauncey-packer.

For more information on WIU's Opera Workshop and Director Penelope Shumate, visit wiu.edu/cofac/opera/index.php.

Posted By: Lissette Cavazos (wiunews@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing