Marian Anderson Vocal Award Recital: Leah Hawkins

• Leah Hawkins, soprano

Traditional — Guide My Feet (arr. Jester Hairston)
Richard Wagner — Wesendonck Lieder, WWV 91
Francis Poulenc — Les Chemins de l'amour ("The pathways of love"), FP 106-Ia
Aaron Copland — Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson
William Grant Still — Songs of Separation
Jasmine Barnes — Proverb (Kennedy Center premiere)
Peter Ashbourne — Five Songs for Soprano and Piano

This year’s Marian Anderson Vocal Award winner, soprano Leah Hawkins, is praised for her "gleaming sound" (The Washington Post). The 2018 graduate from WNO's Cafritz Young Artist program has quickly gained a reputation for her compelling performances, with significant debuts on stages such as the Metropolitan Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, Portland Opera, Tulsa Opera, and more.

Named for the groundbreaking African American contralto, the Marian Anderson Vocal Award recognizes a young American singer in opera, oratorio, or recital repertory. Given annually by the Kennedy Center, the award offers a cash prize, a residency at Washington's Duke Ellington School of the Arts, and a recital presented by WNO. Prior recipients include Frederick Ballentine, Will Liverman, Soloman Howard, Ryan Speedo Green, Denyce Graves, Eric Owens, Lawrence Brownlee, J'Nai Bridges, Janai Brugger, John Holiday, and many others.

Program subject to change.

About Washington National Opera

https://www.kennedy-center.org/wno/home/

About Leah Hawkins, soprano

https://www.leahhawkinssoprano.com/