Shenson Recital Series: Shawnette Sulker, soprano, and Kevin Korth, piano - "Loves Labours Lost"

Acclaimed for her “heart-breaking poignancy” and “beautifully tuned soprano” by the San Francisco Chronicle and for her “enchanting vocal splendor” by the Leipziger Volkszeitung, soprano Shawnette Sulker is a sought-after artist in the United States and abroad. She has sung with the San Francisco Opera, Mark Morris Dance Group, American Bach Soloists, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Opera Memphis, Opera Fairbanks, Union Avenue Opera, Opera Naples, Pacific Opera Project, Eugene Symphony, Santa Rosa Symphony, Garden State Philharmonic, and the Natchez Opera Festival, to name a few. 

A consummate performer, her operatic roles include Floralba (Messalina by Pallavicino) with Ars Minerva, Die Königin der Nacht (Die Zauberflöte) with Opera Modesto, and Mary Jane Bowser in an Opera San José workshop of Jake Heggie’s new opera Intelligence. Other roles in the soprano’s repertoire include Pip (Heggie’s Moby Dick); Zerbinetta (Ariadne auf Naxos); Cunegonde (Candide); The Visitor (Sankaram’s Formidable); Carolina (Il matrimonio segreto); Musetta (La Bohème); Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro); and Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi). On the concert stage, Ms. Sulker has sung Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras with the Oakland Symphony, and appeared as soprano soloist for Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Santa Rosa Symphony and as a solo artist for Masters of the Spiritual at Lincoln Center. Other performance credits include singing roles in the movie Jackson and the documentaries Voices of Freedom and The Hyers Sisters' Dream and Legacy. She can also be heard in the Dallas Opera and Opera Parallèle joint production of the graphic novel opera film Everest by Joby Talbot.

As an in-demand recitalist and coach, pianist Kevin Korth has collaborated with such legendary artists as Frederica von Stade, Isabel Leonard, Jake Heggie, Suzanne Mentzer, Nadine Sierra, Lise Lindstrom, Robert Mann, Joel Krosnick, Marnie Breckenridge, Nicholas Phan, Deborah Voigt, and Brian Asawa.  Praised by Gramophone for playing that is “superb” and “full of color and character,” his debut album Out of the Shadows, a recording of American art song with soprano Lisa Delan and cellist Matt Haimovitz on the Pentatone Classics label, was warmly received. Other recordings include an album of Robinson Jeffers settings by composer Christopher Anderson-Bazzoli with mezzo-soprano Buffy Baggott for the Delos label and an album of songs by composer David Conte for the Arsis label. Mr. Korth currently holds a position on the vocal coaching faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Program: Works by Grant Still, Verdi, and Weill. | A reception will follow in the Braun Courtyard.

The Shenson Recital Series is generously funded by the Ben and A. Jess Shenson Funds at Stanford University.

Admission information

• Tickets now on sale at Stanford Ticket Office!
• ADVANCE TICKETS: General $18 | Senior (65+) $13 | Non-Stanford Student $13
• DAY-OF TICKETS: General $23 | Senior (65+) $18 | Non-Stanford Students $18
• Free Stanford student tickets available one hour before curtain; please read Stanford Ticket Office's free ticket information.
• This event will be livestreamed.
• Stanford University guidelines now state that masks are no longer required, but are strongly recommended. We encourage you to continue wearing masks for the comfort of our patrons, staff, and artists. Proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test will no longer be required.