Guest Artist Recital: Scott Wichael and J. Bradley Baker

Guest artists Scott Wichael (tenor) and J. Bradley Baker (piano) will give a joint recital while in residence at the University of Arkansas. The duo will perform works by Richard Strauss, Gabriel Fauré, Albert Roussel, and Benjamin Britten's Seven Sonnets of Michelangelo, Op. 22. The performance is at 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 13, in Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall. The concert is free and open to the public.

Scott Wichael

Praised for his expressive voice and versatile stage presence, tenor Scott Wichael has appeared on stages throughout the United States with a repertoire ranging from Mozart to Floyd.

Recently Wichael returned to Asheville Lyric Opera as Sancho Panza in Man of La Mancha and Rimrock Opera as Pong in Turandot. In 2014 Wichael debuted the role of Little Bat in Susannah with St. Petersburg Opera. A regular with The Lyric Opera of Kansas City, roles include Spoletta in Tosca, Pang in Turandot and Dr. Blind in Die Fledermaus. The Witch in Hansel and Gretel is a favorite role performed in English and German with companies such as Opera Omaha, Die Eutiner Festspiel, Soo Theatre Project and OPERA Iowa. With the Kansas City Civic Opera, he was #5 Magic Object in Transformations.

The 2010 season included Monostatos in Die Zauberflöte with Asheville Lyric Opera, Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi with Soo Theatre Project and Nanki Poo in The Mikado with Kansas City Metro Opera. In 2009 he was Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi and Mr. Angel in The Impresario with Rimrock Opera and Parpignol in La Boheme with Opera Omaha.

Past roles include Prunier in La Rondine and Spoletta in Tosca with the Kansas City Puccini Festival; Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi and Beppe in Pagliacci with The Crested Butte Music Festival; with Tulsa Opera he performed Don Curzio in Le Nozze di Figaro and Scaramuccio in Ariadne auf Naxos.

Opera News stated, "Scott Wichael was delightful as the four servants…" in Les Contes D'Hoffmann at Des Moines Metro Opera. Other roles at Des Moines Metro Opera include The Spirit of the Masque in Gloriana and The Dancing Master in Ariadne auf Naxos.

Additional past roles include, Danny Buchanan in Street Scene with Maine Grand Opera. Monostatos in The Magic Flute with Milwaukee Opera Theatre, Peter Rabbit in the world premiere of the children's opera The Tale of Peter Rabbit with Opera Iowa, Giles Corey in The Crucible with Lyric Opera Cleveland, Remendado in Carmen with Wichita Grand Opera, and King Kaspar in Amahl and The Night Visitors with Intimate Opera and Opera Kansas.

With degrees from Fort Hays State, Florida State and a D.M.A. from Kansas University, Wichael previously held teaching positions at Fort Hays State, Wichita State, Baker University, William Jewel College and Kansas City Kansas Community College. Currently he is an Assistant Professor at Emporia State University teaching Private Voice, Vocal Diction and Vocal Pedagogy.

J. Bradley Baker

At home on the concert stage and in the classroom, pianist J. Bradley Baker enjoys a versatile career as a performing artist, vocal coach, and educator.

As a pianist and coach, Baker has served as head coach for Wichita Grand Opera and served on the faculty of WGO's Opera Academy of the Midwest, a young artist program that assists in the development of budding opera stars. Other professional opera companies Baker has served on the staff of include Natchez Opera (Mississippi) and Opera Birmingham (Alabama). Within academia, Baker was pianist and assistant musical director for the nationally recognized University of Alabama Opera Theatre, and currently serves as pianist and vocal coach for Tabor College Opera.

Equally at home in instrumental collaboration, Baker has served as the director of chamber music at the Hot Springs Music Festival, and is currently the orchestral keyboardist of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra (Kansas) and the Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra (Alabama). His performances have been heard on the Navona Records label, as well as public radio stations throughout the United States and United Kingdom. Baker has also presented chamber performances at the North American Viola Institute, the International Double Reed Society Conference, and numerous universities throughout the United States.

In addition to performing, Dr. Baker is a passionate arts educator. As the director of the Tabor College Music Preparatory School, Baker leads a group of expert faculty in the education of pre-college youth in Central Kansas. Additionally, he serves as distance learning instructor of music at Judson College, where he teaches Applied Piano, Class Piano I & II, Music Theory III & IV, and Form & Analysis.

Previously, he has held teaching appointments at the University of Alabama, the University of Texas at Tyler, and Stillman College, teaching courses including music theory, class piano, and accompanying, as well as serving as departmental collaborative pianist and vocal coach. Baker regularly presents master classes and is in demand as an adjudicator of state and regional competitions. He is on the Advisory Board of the Kansas Music Teachers Association, an active member of the Music Teachers National Association, a full member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and an active member and staff pianist for the National Opera Association.

Baker has earned degrees from North Dakota State University, Cleveland Institute of Music, and the University of Alabama. His primary teachers include Sandra Siler, Robert Groves, Daniel Shapiro, and Noel Engebretson, in addition to coachings with Robert Roux and Paul Schenly.