KNOXVILLE — Daniel Berry, WUOT 91.9 FM program director and host of the station’s popular Morning Concert, will perform with pianist James Myers on Monday, Feb. 26, at 8 p.m. in Performance Hall 1 (Room 32) of the Alumni Memorial Building on the University of Tennessee – Knoxville campus. Admission is free.
Sponsored in partnership with the UT School of Music, the concert will feature music for all tastes, including music from J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio; songs from Franz Schubert, Hugo Wolf and Karl Loewe; the song cycle “Let Us Garlands Bring” by Gerald Finzi and traditional Irish songs.
“Daniel is an accomplished singer. He has performed free concerts on behalf of WUOT before and we’re thrilled he has volunteered his talents again,” WUOT Director Regina Dean said. “We’re also pleased to be able to partner with the UT School of Music on this recital. We have strong ties with many university departments and within this community, and this concert is a way we can thank our listeners, who support the arts in this region.”
A native of Dearborn, Mich., Berry comes from a family of musicians. He sang publicly for the first time at the age of seven. Praised by critics as both singer and actor, Berry now has a repertoire of more than 60 comic and serious operatic roles.
Berry debuted with the Knoxville Opera in 1983 as Angelotti in Tosca, and has appeared with the company regularly since then. Most recently he performed the role of Alcindoro in the company’s production of Puccini’s La Bohème, and will be heard as Zuniga in the Knoxville Opera production of Bizet’s Carmen in May.
Berry first appeared with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra in the spring of 1994 in Handel’s Messiah. He has performed with the Florentine Opera of Milwaukee, Skylight Comic Opera, Peoria Civic Opera, Northern Indiana Opera Association and Music Under the Stars. He has performed as soloist with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Peoria Civic Orchestra, Bach Chamber Orchestra and many others, and is an acclaimed recitalist.
Berry attended the University of Michigan, where he was a pupil of Metropolitan Opera baritone Ralph Herbert and conductors Josef Blatt and Maynard Klein. He made his professional debut in 1975 as Dr. Bartolo in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro with the Milwaukee Opera Company.
Berry initially combined his singing career with parallel vocations as voice teacher and conductor. He taught at Ferris State College, The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Alverno College, and The Conservatory of Music.
Berry joined WUOT in 1983. He has served as program director since 1995.
For more information about the free concert, please call (865) 974-6167.
Listener-supported WUOT 91.9 FM is a 100,000-watt station broadcasting from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Qualified by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, WUOT is a member of National Public Radio, and a Public Radio International affiliate. WUOT’s primary format is classical and jazz music, news and public affairs. WUOT serves listeners throughout East Tennessee, and parts of Kentucky, North Carolina, Georgia and Virginia. The station broadcasts 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and streams on the Web at wuot.org.
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Contact: Cindy Hassil (865-974-6167 or chassil@utk.edu)
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