FREE Lunchtime Concert: MN Opera Resident Artists
Friday, October 20, 12:00PM
Westminster Hall at Westminster Presbyterian Church
Hosted by composer Abbie Betinis, our popular Courtroom Concerts take place at noon most Thursdays in the Landmark Center in downtown Saint Paul. This series features accomplished musicians and composers from the Twin Cities and surrounding area, as well as occasional musical newcomers to the area. These one-hour concerts are free and open to the public.
This year, Schubert Club will partner with Westminster Hall to bring selected Courtroom Concerts across the river to Minneapolis. Select Courtroom Concerts will receive repeat Friday performances at Westminster Hall; these concerts will also be free and open to the public.
About the Artists:
Jeremiah Sanders, baritone
Erica Guo, pianist/coach
Jeremiah Sanders (they/them/he/him) grew up in Marion, Indiana, singing in church choir with their madea. Now, a nationally awarded baritone described as “a hulk … with robust voice and a flair for comedy” by the Herald Times, they eagerly return to the ranks of Minnesota Opera’s Resident Artist Program.
Sanders consistently finds success on the competition circuit and recently won the Kurt Weil Award in the 2023 Lotte Lenya Competition. Previously, Sanders secured district wins with the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition in Kansas City and Indianapolis, won 1st place in the Opera Ebony Voice Competition, 1st place with the Friends of the Symphony (Lima Symphony Orchestra) Young Artist Competition, and 2nd place with the Indianapolis Matinee Musicale Collegiate Scholarship Competition, and Sanders has been a finalist in several national competitions.
Last season, their roles included Abilene’s Father and Bryce’s Father in Edward Tulane, Mago in Rinaldo, and Hortensius in La fille du régiment. They performed with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Lima Symphony Orchestra, Lakes Area Music Festival, Opera Saratoga, Des Moines Metro Opera, Minnesota Opera, and Union Avenue Opera. Sanders is a doctoral candidate at Indiana University and previously earned a Vocology Certificate and Performer’s Diploma in Voice from IU. Sanders earned a master’s degree in Vocal Performance from Butler University and Bachelor of Arts degree at Manchester University. jeremiahmarcelesanders.com
Chinese-born pianist Erica Xiaoyan Guo is praised by San Francisco Classical Voice, as “a marvelously flexible touch, the kind of playing that makes you want to hear more…” She has spent over a decade performing internationally as a solo pianist, collaborative pianist, and chamber musician. She has performed at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, the Nymphenburg Palace, Temppeliaukion kirkko, Musiikkitalo, and among others.
In 2021 she was an apprentice coach at the prestigious Merola Opera Program where she performed in a recital titled What the Heart Desires, as well as in Merola’s award-winning film, Back Home: Through the Stage Door, directed by David Paul. She also made her Schwabacher recital debut, and has been serving on the music staff at the Santa Fe Opera since 2022. Ms. Guo is also an alumnus of the Aspen Music Festival and School and the Pittsburgh Festival Opera.
Ms. Guo receives her training from the Manhattan School of Music, Hochschule für Musik und Theater München, and the New England Conservatory of Music. She is currently pursuing her doctorate degree at the University of Maryland. Her teachers include Rita Sloan, Kathleen Kelly, Cameron Stowe, Jonathan Feldman, Antti Siirala, and Solomon Mikowsky.