Carroll faculty vocalist lures audience with great catch

Thomas J. Weis angles for an afternoon of “Fish, Fishing, and Fishermen,” his faculty voice recital accompanied by Rhonda Kwiecien at Carroll University. The event will be Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014, at 4 p.m. in Shattuck Music Center, 218 N. East Ave., Waukesha. It is free and open to the public. Audience members are encouraged to wear apparel representing the theme.

“Fish, Fishing, and Fishermen” will include several songs by German Lieder composer Franz Schubert, including “Die Forelle – The Trout,” selections from Gustav Mahler’s “Des Knaben Wunderhorn,” late 19th century and early 20th century works by Stephen Foster and Kurt Weill, Broadway musical selections and more. The Midwest Guitar Trio will perform during the intermission as a special guest.

Weis, a lyric bass, has a Doctor of Musical Arts degree and is an active soloist who has performed with the Milwaukee Symphony, Menomonee Falls Symphony, Beloit/Janesville Symphony, Milwaukee Youth Symphony, Oshkosh Chorale, Waukesha Choral Union, Arizona Opera, Skylight Opera, Florentine Opera and Opera for the Young. He also performs musical theater, including productions of “Kiss Me Kate” and “The Music Man.”

A member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Weis has served on the Wisconsin NATS board and participated in the esteemed NATS Intern Program. He is an instructor of voice at Carroll University, offering recitals, master classes and numerous faculty collaborations. He also teaches voice at Hartland Music: Waukesha County Conservatory.

Kwiecien is a professional accompanist and collaborative pianist. Her current professional endeavors include working with Carroll University’s music and theater programs, the choral music department of Muskego High School, the Jubilate Chorale and Ascension Lutheran Church in Waukesha. She has an ongoing professional collaboration with Weis and other local musicians.

During her career, Kwiecien has worked with and premiered compositions by composers Craig Hella Johnson, Eric Barnum, Vijay Singh, Robert Harris and Joseph Martin. World premieres in 2013 included Jim Bassi’s “Seven Last Words” with the Carroll University Concert Choir, directed by Dr. Kristina Boerger, and Jocelyn Hagen’s “Ladies in Green” with the Muskego High School Sorelli Cantanti, directed by Meredith Sipe. Kwiecien serves on the board of the Milwaukee Opera Theater and worked with the All-State Collegiate and Children’s choirs for the 2014 Wisconsin Choral Director’s Association Convention in Milwaukee.

For more information on the faculty recital, contact Carroll’s Music Office at 262.524.7182 or smeyer@carrollu.edu.

About Carroll University
Carroll, Wisconsin’s oldest four-year institution of higher learning, is an independent, co-educational comprehensive university grounded in the liberal arts tradition. Incorporated in 1846, it offers bachelor’s degrees in 57 majors and master’s degrees in business administration, education, exercise physiology, graphic communication, nursing, physician assistant studies and software engineering, as well as a clinical doctorate in physical therapy.