21 MOZART VIOLIN CONCERTO NO. 3

Equally at home on the operatic stage or in concert repertoire, soprano Susan Nelson has been praised by critics for her “full, powerful voice – agile and pliant” as well as her interpretations, called both “sensitive and moving” and “full of life and vigor”, showcasing her versatility in repertoire from Bach and Mozart to verismo and contemporary opera, as well as light opera and popular music.

Susan’s opera schedule encompasses four Mozart soprano roles, two Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, Laetitia in The Old Maid and the Thief, Bubikopf in Viktor Ullmann’s Der Kaiser von Atlantis, and Micaëla in Carmen, as well as covering roles at Lyric Opera of Chicago. A member of the Grant Park Chorus since 2003, Susan teaches through Music of the Baroque’s Strong Voices program and at Concordia University Chicago. During the pandemic she recorded over three hundred songs by women composers/songwriters of all different genres. She is also a soloist in the Grant Park Music Festival Chorus’ CD, which was released in 2012.

Mezzo-soprano Sarah Ponder enjoys a busy career as a soloist and ensemble singer in Chicago, performing in genres from opera and oratorio to contemporary and a cappella. Hailed as “Deeply expressive” (Chicago Sun Times) and a “first-class soloist” (Chicago Classical Review), some of Sarah’s recent favorite performances include a special concert of love songs with Bella Voce Camerata, starring as Julia Child in Lee Hoiby’s one-woman opera Bon Appétit! and a rousing trio rendition of “Row, Row Your Boat” with Yo-Yo Ma at Children’s Memorial Hospital, part of her work with the Citizen Musician Initiative. Through her work with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sarah has “beguilingly” (Chicago Tribune) performed several solo concerts with famed Maestro Riccardo Muti at the piano. A passionate educator, Sarah holds a teaching position at Loyola University and maintains a large private studio. She also recently finished recording a 4th season of works from Carnegie Hall’s Lullaby Project partnered with the CSO, assisting young mothers to create original lullabies.

Praised for her “sassy, big-voiced” presence by the Chicago Classical Review, Corinne Wallace-Crane is thrilled to be a part of the reopening of the monumental Grant Park Music Festival. Ms. Wallace-Crane joined the Grant Park Chorus in the 2011 season. Since then, she has been a featured soloist in Shakespeare’s 400th anniversary a capella concert in 2016, the Rachmaninov Vespers a capella concert in 2017, Britten’s “Hymn to St. Cecilia” in 2018, and Musgrave’s Rorate Coeli in 2019. Ms. Wallace-Crane is also in the regular chorus of the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Some notable performances on the Lyric stage include singing the role of the night maid in My Fair Lady, a Sprite in Cendrillon, and Sister Lillianne in Dead Man Walking. This summer, she sang the role of Hansel in Lyric Opera’s Hansel and Gretel in the Parks. Ms. Wallace-Crane trained as a young artist at The Natchez Opera Festival, Central City Opera, and Sarasota Opera. She currently lives in Naperville with her husband, Mike.