The 48th Annual William Warfield Scholarship Fund Benefit Concert is this weekend on Sunday, January 19, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. in Kilbourn Hall.
This year's event, themed “Let Freedom Sing,” will feature the 2024-2025 William Warfield Scholarship Fund recipient, current Eastman student Holden Turner, baritone, alongside a stellar lineup of acclaimed performers, including Kenneth Overton, Grammy Award-winning baritone; Thomas Warfield, WWSF President Emeritus, Artist and Pianist; Mount Vernon Missionary Baptist Church Men’s Chorus; and Deanna Dewberry, Award-winning anchor and investigative reporter for News10 NBC/WHEC-TV, as Concert Emcee. There will also be a pre-concert chat hosted by former WXXI Classical Music Director Julia Figueras.
Looking forward to this weekend’s concert and celebration we had the chance to record discussion between three generations of Black opera singers connected to the program:
- Grammy Award-winning soprano, Leona Mitchell who will be awarded the 2025 William Warfield Legacy Award for her leadership, achievements and distinguished contributions to the development of young African American artists aspiring to careers in classical vocal performance
- Rising star and Eastman School of Music student Holden Turner, the 2024-2025 Warfield Scholarship Fund Recipient. He's been featured with Finger Lakes Opera and in other great performances throughout Rochester.
- Kearstin Piper Brown, who in addition to her own career as a in-demand opera star around the world is also an announcer at WXXI Classical and a member of the William Warfield Scholarship Fund board.
Listen to their conversation as they discuss what has changed over the years along with the shared joys and challenges of pursuing their passion for opera as a career.
And be sure to check out the concert this Sunday!
