The Kentucky Wesleyan Music Department will host a free concert with baritone Dr. Michael Preacely and pianist Dr. Diane Earle on March 17. The performance will include opera, musical theatre, art song, and spirituals.
The concert will begin at 7 p.m. in Tapscott Chapel in the Barnard-Jones Administration Building and is made possible by the Helen Hart Fund.
Preacely is known for a versatile singing ability and style that allows him to cross between genres from classical repertoire to pop, contemporary and Broadway. He has received critical acclaim for many of his performances, including Phantom in “Phantom of the Opera,” Scarpia in “Tosca,” Ford in “Falstaff,” Marcello in “La Boheme,” the High Priest in “Samson and Delilah” and Porgy and Jake in “Porgy and Bess.”
He has performed with many major and regional opera houses and orchestras in the United States and abroad. He has performed with Cincinnati Opera, Opera Company Philadelphia, Opera Memphis, Kentucky Opera, Cleveland Opera, Lyric Opera Cleveland, and Bohème Opera of New Jersey.
Preacely has also joined some of the nation’s leading orchestras, including the Oakland East Bay Symphony, the Memphis Symphony, the Hamilton-Fairfield Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Cleveland Pops, the Cincinnati Pops, the Greater Trenton Choral Society and the American Spiritual Ensemble.
Preacely is working on the release of his first album, “Spirituals and Hymns,” followed by a series of concerts and recitals in various venues across the United States. He resides in Lexington.
Professor Emerita of Music Earle was a member of the faculty at Kentucky Wesleyan College for 37 years. She is principal pianist with the Owensboro Symphony and performs for various tours and concerts, including Carnegie (July) and Royal Caribbean cruises.
