WIU Music Alumnus Performing in Operas Around the World

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Furman in Rusalka by Dvořák.
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WIU alumnus Ric Furman
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WIU Music Alumnus Performing in Operas Around the World

August 26, 2022

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An excerpt from Liszt's Faust Symphony, with the Hungarian National Philharmonic and Chorus in Budapest.

MACOMB, IL – When alumnus Ric Furman enrolled in Western Illinois University in the 1990s, he was already determined to become an engineer. Although the now world-renowned opera singer had performed in several Macomb High School musical ensembles, mainly to spend time with friends, he entered WIU as a freshman in 1993, with a declared major in pre-engineering.

Prior to that, while on a high school choir field trip to University of Illinois to sing with other choirs and conductors, WIU Music Professor Emeritus Brian Leeper was serving as a chaperone, and directed Furman that his future studies included coming to WIU to become one of the voice students in his studio.

"I was interested in that idea because it came with a scholarship, so I decided on a minor in music. I was taking classes and lessons; doing everything a music major would do and an engineering major would do," said Furman. "But I was having so much fun that I eventually switched my major to music."

One year later, Leeper retired and Furman was part of a committee gathered to find a new voice teacher for WIU. Each faculty candidate was asked to teach a music lesson to a student as part of their interview, and that student happened to be Furman. Those interviews were first time Furman met WIU Emeritus Professor Lynn Thompson.

"Students were involved in the hiring process, to ask questions at the interviews, and to be part of a mock lesson in front of faculty, and talk about what they observed," he said. "Lynn was an applicant and, after the lesson was over, I told the committee I would like to be in his studio if they hired him. He made a huge initial impression on me. It was the engagement in his performance – it drew you in and made you feel like you were part of it. Something about it made me say I wanted to know more about it."

After Thompson was hired to teach at WIU, Furman became the first student enrolled in his studio. Thompson retired in May, and Furman performed at his retirement ceremony earlier this month while he was in town visiting family. Thompson said he is incredibly humbled and honored to know he had at least a small part in helping create the artist Furman has become.

"One of the true joys of my teaching career at WIU has been watching Ric Furman's career grow and blossom," said Thompson. While at WIU, Ric was the kind of student a private voice teacher dreams of. He was inquisitive, and always willing to try new ideas. On several occasions Ric and I made trips to the Lyric Opera of Chicago, so he could see professional opera with world class singers. His comments after the performances were always insightful, and showed a true passion for the art form that have ultimately led to his successful career as a singer."

It was Thompson who steered Furman toward The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where the retired WIU voice professor received his doctoral degree from. Furman auditioned with 430 other potential students for a spot in the conservatory's master's degree program. He was one of 24 graduate students accepted. Furman graduated from WIU in 1998, after also studying acting and stagecraft, which are both essential to his performances.

"Opera is a combination of every artistic form," he said. "There is painting, design, costumes, makeup, lights, an orchestra, dance, acting and voice, videography and graphic design…It is hard to come up with an artistic form that doesn't show up in opera."

After completing his master's degree at CCM, Furman performed with the Cincinnati and Dayton operas and transformed from a baritone singer to a tenor.

"My first job was as a tenor; it's where my voice was leaning," he said. "After that, my career took off like a rocket, but then there was a slow and steady decline over several years. I was working at uninspiring levels."

Between 2007-08, Furman was performing some contracts and, into 2010, he was auditioning in New York and in Europe. It was then he made a personal decision to try auditioning for heavier repertoire.

His first audition was an informational one for his former agent, so he could determine a market for the blossoming singer. His second audition was for Speight Jenkins, who Furman calls, "one of the greatest impresarios of our time."

"We talked and I sang, then he asked for a second piece and we talked some more," Furman said. "He asked for a third piece, then he shook my hand and gave me my first contract. I have not stopped working since."

Furman performed in the United States, including at Carnegie Hall, but he and his wife eventually set up a home base in Wiesbaden, Germany. He said the beautiful city is 20 minutes from the Frankfort airport and he can get most everywhere else he performs by train.

"Competition for jobs is very steep and the biggest obstacle in endurance," he said. "If you can outlast the competition, you will be successful."

Furman was once told that 17,000 students nationwide graduate each year hoping to become professional singers and the U.S. market can only support about 400. He added that the COVID-19 pandemic was hard on the industry as it shut down theatres worldwide.

Ironically, Furman had 12 months of paternity leave after the birth of his second son, to help carry him through the time. After that he mainly did radio and concert work.

"We were mostly rehearsing for shows that we would never perform," he said.

Furman is proud to be a Leatherneck alumnus and said the opportunities the University offered MHS students boosted his interest in opera.

"The first opera I ever saw was an outreach of WIU," said Furman. "It was a Puccini performance, Gianni Schicchi, and WIU brought it to the MHS choir classes. It was then I understood the idea of what opera is."

He also performed with the WIU Orchestra during its 2017 winter concert, while he was in Macomb for a visit.

Furman, now performing as an heldentenor, continues to live in Germany with his wife and two sons. His father, Emeritus Professor DuWayne Furman, taught in WIU's College of Education and Human Services and retired in Macomb, with his wife, Janet. His brother, Stan, attended WIU for two years and his brother, Tom, received two bachelor's degrees from WIU, one in economics and one in marketing, both in 1996, and he received a master's of business administration (MBA) in 2004.

For more information about Furman's career, visit ricfurman.com.