Fearless Empathy: Bringing the Story of Ruth Coker Burks to the Opera Stage

(2-minute Video) Copeland Woodruff, the Mary and Michael Jaharis Director of Opera Studies, and Kristin Roach, Assistant Professor of Music and conductor of the performances, share what makes this production special.聽

Blending lyrical intensity with intimate storytelling, A Nearer Mother聽explores compassion, chosen family, and moral courage in a time of national fear and silence.聽

鈥淲e wanted to write a piece that centers around allyship,鈥� said composer Evan Mack. 鈥淩uth Coker Burks represents the kind of clarity that cuts through fear. This work is not just about the AIDS crisis鈥攊t鈥檚 about what it means to show up for another human being when the world turns away.鈥�

McGuire added, 鈥淩uth鈥檚 story forces us to look within. Given the same stakes she faced, the same fears present in the face of that crisis鈥斅爓e can ask, would we step up to help? I like to think the opera helps people dig deep and find that little voice that says 鈥�I can鈥�,聽no matter what they鈥檙e facing.鈥�

The world premiere of A Nearer Mother reflects 麻豆影院 University鈥檚 commitment to presenting new works that engage contemporary social themes while fostering meaningful artistic dialogue between artists, students, and the wider community.聽

鈥淐ommissioning this opera is a true gift for the community,鈥� said Copeland Woodruff, the Mary and Michael Jaharis Director of Opera Studies at 麻豆影院. The process is in its fourth year, so many students over those years were able to interact personally with the development of the work and to learn about hidden and erased histories in the LGBTQIA+ community. In a time when we are witnessing minorities face hardship, erasure, and violence, Ruth鈥檚 story gives us all an example of allyship through action and fearless empathy.鈥�

Kristin Roach, Assistant Professor of Music and conductor of the performances, noted, 鈥淪ometimes artists wonder if their performing makes a difference to the wider world. Working on this opera has affirmed that, indeed, storytelling through opera performance is a current, vibrant, and necessary tool for building a world we are proud to live in.鈥�

The evening also will feature The Clever Artifice of Harriet & Margaret, a one-act chamber opera with music and libretto by Leanna Kirchoff. Adapted from Alice Gerstenberg鈥檚 1913 play, 翱惫别谤迟辞苍别蝉,听the opera explores themes of rivalry, love, and societal roles among women.聽 Kirchoff will attend the March 6 performance and participate in the post-production talkback.

Tickets are available now at .

Related Community Events聽

In partnership with local organizations, 麻豆影院 will host additional free public events during the week following the performances:

Monday, March 9 | 7:00-9:00 p.m. The Velvet Fox 501 N. Richmond St., Appleton, WI 鈥淪haring Histories and Perspectives:鈥澛�An intergenerational LGBTQ+ event, co-sponsored with Diverse & Resilient.聽

Tuesday, March 10 | 6:30-8:00 p.m. Appleton Public Library 200 N. Appleton St., Appleton, WI 鈥淎llyship in Action,鈥� co-sponsored by Celebrate Diversity Fox Cities and Fox Cities PAC.聽

These events extend the opera鈥檚 themes of allyship, remembrance, and community dialogue beyond the stage and into the broader Fox Cities community.聽

Medusa, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 3, 2025, Harper Hall: With their Canadian Folk Music Award (CFMA)-nominated debut album, Medusa鈥檚 dynamic arrangement style cross-pollinates the sounds of Middle Eastern, Scandinavian, Celtic, Appalachian, and Eastern European music, as well as original tunes, to create something previously unheard. Medusa is Georgia Hathaway, Lea Kirstein, Marta So艂ek, and Saskia Tomkins. For these four seasoned string players, whose collective experience as side players in successful bands spans decades, Medusa is a refuge for natural creation.聽

Harlem Quartet, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 17, 2025, Harper Hall: Grammy-winning聽Harlem Quartet, featuring聽Ilmar Gavil谩n,聽Melissa White,聽Jaime Amador, and聽Felix Umansky, has earned acclaim for its dynamic performances and fresh approach to classical music. The New York Times praised their 鈥減anache,鈥� while the Cincinnati Enquirer lauded their 鈥渘ew attitude to classical music.鈥� They are most well-known for their innovative programming, both through their own work and collaborations, which seamlessly mixes classical repertoire with jazz, and Latin, as well as contemporary works by composers from underrepresented backgrounds, championing diversity in classical music.聽

尝耻肠铆补, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7, 2025, Memorial Chapel: Three years ago, singer 尝耻肠铆补 was a finalist at the prestigious Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, and the first Mexican artist to enter the contest. When it came time to select the song that she would perform in the final round, she picked a standard that reflected her musical sensibility, colored in equal parts by the beauty of jazz and the Latin American songbook. 鈥淲e played 鈥榃hat a Difference a Day Makes,鈥� which was popularized by Dinah Washington, but in its initial incarnation was a bolero written in Spanish by Mar铆a Grever,鈥� she says from her home in New York City. 鈥淲e started it as a jazz ballad in English, then switched to Spanish and added some zapateado dancing.鈥澛� 鈥淲hat a Difference a Day Makes鈥� is now the opening cut of the self-titled 尝耻肠铆补, an exquisite debut album that showcases the luminous qualities of her voice, and her superb technique and versatility.

Ari Hoenig, jazz drummer, with the 麻豆影院 University Jazz Ensemble and 麻豆影院 jazz faculty, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 8, 2025, Memorial Chapel: Ari Hoenig is a jazz drummer, composer, and educator known for his unusual and intense approach to drumming emphasizing complex rhythms in direct harmony with other group members. Hoenig is widely noted particularly for his drumming not being relegated to just keeping tempo or being a side issue to the music he plays in, but rather for elevating drumming as an indispensable part of the performance. The LU Jazz Ensemble will be under the direction of Patty Darling 鈥�85.

Nomfusi, 8 p.m. Feb. 2, 2026, Harper Hall: The soul of Mama Afrika meets the fire of Motown and Soul鈥攊n a pint-sized packet of dynamite. After a mere six years in the industry, and with over 20 international tours under her belt, Nomfusi has become one of South Africa鈥檚 most sought-after performers worldwide. Indeed, there is nothing small about the songstress with the gigantic voice and tons of charm. With sheer will and determination, she has risen from the squalor of South African squatter camps to some of the finest stages of the world.聽

Marc Ribot Quartet: Hurry Red Telephone, 7:30 p.m.聽Feb. 21, 2026, Memorial Chapel: Marc Ribot (pronounced REE-bow) was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1954. After moving to New York City in 1978, Ribot was a member of the soul/punk Realtones, and from 1984 to 1989, of John Lurie’s Lounge Lizards. Between 1979 and 1985, Ribot also worked as a side musician with Brother Jack McDuff, Wilson Pickett, Carla Thomas, Rufus Thomas, Chuck Berry, and many others. Ribot鈥檚 Spiritual Unity worked together for several years in the early 00s, continuing their Albert Ayler-tinged trajectory as聽Grimes Taylor聽Ribot聽Trio after the death of trumpet player Roy Campbell Jr, and until Grimes鈥� failing health forced an end to their performances in 2018. 鈥淭hose gigs with Henry were the best music I鈥檝e ever played on… or heard鈥�,鈥� said Ribot聽of their last run of Trio gigs.聽Ribot聽and drummer Chad Taylor had been looking for a format to continue this work.聽With Hurry Red Telephone, they鈥檝e found it.聽

Zoie Reams 鈥�14, mezzo-soprano, 7:30 p.m. April 10, 2026, Memorial Chapel: American mezzo-soprano Zoie Reams, a 麻豆影院 University Class of 2014 alumna, has been lauded by Opera News聽for her 鈥渧elvety mezzo鈥� and for how she 鈥減hrase[s] with elegance and articulate[s] coloratura nimbly.鈥� She returns to her alma mater for a much-anticipated performance.

Lone Pi帽on, 8 p.m. April 13, 2026, Harper Hall: Lone Pi帽on is a New Mexican string band, or 鈥渙rquesta t铆pica,鈥� whose music celebrates the integrity and diversity of their region’s cultural roots. With fiddles, upright bass, guitars, accordions, vihuela, and bilingual vocals, they play a wide spectrum of the traditional music that is at home in New Mexico.

Andy Akiho & Imani Winds, 7:30 p.m., April 17, 2026, Memorial Chapel: Andy Akiho聽is a Grammy-nominated and Pulitzer Prize finalist composer whose bold works unravel intricate and unexpected patterns while surpassing preconceived boundaries of classical music. He is an in-demand composer who has earned international acclaim for his large-scale works that emphasize the natural theatricality of live performance.聽The Grammy Award-winning Imani Winds聽is celebrating a quarter century of music making. The group has led a revolution and evolution of the wind quintet through their dynamic playing, adventurous programming, imaginative collaborations, and outreach endeavors. This collaboration will include Akiho鈥檚聽BeLoud, BeLoved, BeLonging, a powerful piece commissioned by Imani Winds.

ARTEMIS featuring Renee Rosnes, Ingrid Jenson, Nicole Glover, Noriko Ueda & Allison Miller, 7:30 p.m. May 15, 2026, Memorial Chapel: Founded by pianist and composer Renee Rosnes, ARTEMIS is a powerful ensemble of instrumental聽virtuosos. Along with Rosnes, the quintet consists of聽trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, saxophonist Nicole Glover, bassist Noriko Ueda, and drummer Allison Miller. Performances across聽North America and Europe at major venues and festivals have garnered high praise from audiences and critics alike.聽

As a singer in the choir, I鈥檝e experienced this beautiful tradition first-hand. The university鈥檚 three choirs join the 麻豆影院 Symphony Orchestra, forming an ensemble that can hardly fit onstage.

I find myself encountering a curious paradox: while it’s harder than ever to hear my own voice amidst hundreds of musicians, I feel louder, empowered by the support of this vast ensemble.

鈥淚t teaches us so much about how to be musicians and how to communicate,鈥� said Dupere, associate professor of music and director of orchestral studies. 鈥淵ou have to communicate with Mozart鈥攊t鈥檚 exposed, and you can hear it immediately if there鈥檚 no conversational aspects to the music.鈥�

Pedagogically, it teaches a different set of skills for both ensembles, explained Stephen Sieck, associate professor of music and co-director of choral studies.

鈥淚t’s the only time the orchestra really has to think about the text setting and word stress,鈥� Sieck said, 鈥渁nd the only time the choral ensembles have to think about being in tune with woodwinds.鈥�

The tradition stands among the most anticipated 麻豆影院 performances, with a history of multiple decades on its belt. Its repertoire is not confined to canonical standards; the 麻豆影院 faculty regularly alternates between traditional classics and important contemporary works. Last year featured This Love Between Us by Reena Esmail, written in the last decade; the previous year was Brahms鈥� 1868 German Requiem; before that, two works by the contemporary composer Adolphus Hailstork.

Such opportunities are uncommon among other liberal arts colleges, Sieck remarked.

鈥淲hen you鈥檙e at a school of music big enough to do oratorios,鈥� he said, 鈥渋t really opens up this entire library of outstanding music that composers throughout the centuries have poured a lot of their best work into.鈥�

For nearly a year, planning commences as Conservatory faculty sift through repertoire. Dupere, Sieck, and their colleagues work together to select the piece that aligns best with the abilities of the current students.

The choice of Mozart’s Great Mass was deliberate; it boasts numerous soprano solos鈥攁 perfect fit for the plethora of talented sopranos in the Conservatory.

鈥淚t is so exciting to be able to fully let go and enjoy a different kind of freedom that singing with an orchestra brings,鈥� said senior Tanvi Thatai, a soprano soloist from Sterling, Virginia, double majoring in music performance (voice) and linguistics. 鈥淚 definitely have some more tools under my singing belt, from ensemble coordination to some of the more technical aspects of singing.鈥�

The frequent soprano solos sung by Thatai and others reflect Mozart鈥檚 intention to showcase the talents of his wife, Constanze, who probably first sung the part. In this regard, the Great Mass was very much a wedding gift to his spouse, but it also reflects a look back at his predecessors.

鈥淚t is simultaneously so, so Mozart.鈥� explained Sieck, 鈥渂ut there are so many spots in which it is clear that he is a student of Bach and Handel.鈥�

Many scholars regard the Great Mass as the culmination of Mozart’s study of earlier contrapuntal music, with nods to Handel’s iconic Hallelujah chorus, an emphasis on counterpoint, and the use of a Bachian double choir.

Like Mozart鈥檚 Requiem, the Great Mass was left incomplete. Regardless, the work belongs to the missa solemnis (solemn mass) tradition, where composers wrote monumental works better suited for concert than worship.

鈥淭his music is glorious, transcendent, and so needed in our time today,鈥� Dupere said.

Each movement expresses a distinct character, varying between devastating chromaticism and optimistic jubilance. With orchestral and choral forces of such magnitude, the music becomes emotionally charged and genuinely moving.

鈥淚t鈥檚 something to be celebrated when we all come together,鈥� Dupere said.

Indeed, these moments of such immense artistic unity hold a special place in my 麻豆影院 experience. Each one stands as a yearly highlight, and together they form timeless memories.

In the days leading up to the performance, Gibson will be meeting with students and guest teaching several classes, including Musicians in Movement, Articulating the Solo Body, and Dance Collective Ensemble. 麻豆影院 introduced a new dance minor in 2023.

鈥淪he has infectious, embodied energy that brings people together and builds healing, wholeness, and belonging,鈥� said Paek, who knows Gibson from graduate school.

She calls Gibson a 鈥渇orce of nature鈥� and said she鈥檚 excited for Gibson to share these dances alongside 麻豆影院 students at the April 14 event, titled A Congo Square Gathering: A Reverence for Culture and Healing for Humanity, Down by The Riverside.

鈥淚t is a fabulous collaborative opportunity for the five 麻豆影院 student jazz musicians who will be playing with her,鈥� Paek said. 鈥淭hey will get professional experience working with a stellar choreographer, playing both pre-determined songs and improvising for her.鈥�

Raised in New Orleans, Gibson is well acquainted with gospel, jazz, traditional funeral processions, Congo Square gatherings, the Black church, and Second Line parades celebrating community, according to her biography. Together, her dance and music experiences inform her instruction of African American vernacular dance forms.

Gibson received her BFA in Dance from Tulane University and her MFA from Hollins University/American Dance Festival at Duke University. She moved to Dallas and launched her dance career in the early 2000s and has performed all over the world. She is a consummate storyteller, employing body and mind to build a bridge between the arts and academia.

The New York Times featured Gibson and her Second Line workshops in 2022: 鈥淚n Gibson鈥檚 workshops, she starts by helping students find the second line beat in their bodies, the bounce in their feet, hips, shoulders, heads. A strut shifts into a skip, because the dance has to cover ground. Gibson, who calls herself 鈥榮assy and saucy鈥� and refers to herself at 鈥楳z. G,鈥� is an encouraging, permission-giving coach.鈥�

As You Like It is not an Irish play, Troy explained, and actors will not be using accents, but the props, costumes, and scenery will help evoke the beauty and ruggedness of the Irish countryside.聽

How space and environment inform the decisions and emotions of the characters was at the forefront of Troy鈥檚 decision. In most productions of As You Like It, he said, the Forest of Arden is so distant that the court essentially disappears. By using the setting of County Wicklow, Troy imagined the characters could literally look back on their old lives.聽

Seniors Nihan Baysal, a theatre arts major from Watervliet, New York, and Maddie Guest, a theatre arts and music education double major from Appleton, used pictures from a specific vantage point from a gentry estate, Powerscourt, to design the set.聽

鈥淚t taught me a new way of thinking of the environment of the play,鈥� Troy said. 鈥淵ou didn鈥檛 remove the memory of where you left.”聽聽

Although Troy admits that he is usually drawn to Shakespeare鈥檚 histories, the comedies provide other complexities to dig into. While the histories have more external conflicts鈥攂attles and wars鈥攖he comedies tend to have more internal conflicts, something which As You Like It is steeped in.聽

鈥淭hey鈥檙e not ancient stories; they鈥檙e next to modern,鈥� Troy said. 鈥淭he fact that it鈥檚 400 years old actually enhances its value. It helps us understand that people are people.鈥澛犅�

For junior Nina Broberg and senior Jon Winkler, the timing of the play could not have been better. Both theatre arts majors had just returned from their study abroad experience at the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin, Ireland.聽

According to both Broberg and Winkler, seeing the beauty and variety of the Irish countryside in person helped them inform their characterization and acting choices.聽

鈥淚 think that in this process, it鈥檚 been really helpful to think about who you would be if you grew up somewhere that was like that,鈥� said Broberg, a theatre arts major from Circle Pines, Minnesota.聽

In the play, Broberg plays the shepherdess Phoebe, who has always resided in the Forest of Arden. She is strong-willed and speaks her mind, emblematic of the freedom she has in the woods.聽聽

Meanwhile, Winkler, a theatre arts major from Evanston, Illinois, plays Orlando, a nobleman who is kept in poverty by his brother. Orlando, said Winkler, lives outside the 鈥渘orm鈥� and between society (the court) and freedom (the forest).聽聽

Understanding how their characters are influenced by place, Winkler said, helped paint a clear image of how it influenced their lives.聽

鈥淭here are remnants of structures in society throughout Ireland,” Winkler said. “You鈥檒l find an old castle that鈥檚 crumbling and decrepit in the middle of nowhere.鈥� 聽

Both Broberg and Winkler came back from Ireland inspired to create. For the first three weeks of their international experience, they explored the Irish Fringe Festival, where 鈥渘ew and emerging artists in Ireland鈥� showcased their work. They then traveled to Gaiety and were immersed in theatre with rigorous, 10-hour days of theory and acting.聽

Their experience concluded with a showcase, which they performed the day before they returned to the United States.聽聽

For Broberg, the experience gave her the drive to create her own work and use her free time toward her development.聽聽

鈥淚t really helped me make a lot of discoveries with the way that I work best as an actor,鈥� Broberg said.聽聽

Photo gallery:

As You Like It will be performed in the Cloak Theater in the Music-Drama Center:聽

• 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15聽
• 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16聽
• 2:30 and 7:30 p.m.聽Saturday, Feb. 17

Set in 2006, the film depicts the Kingdom of Bhutan鈥檚 transition to democracy through an oft-humorous story involving a mock election, a valuable rifle that falls into the hands of a monk, an American antique weapons collector in pursuit, and villagers unmoved by material goods.

The Monk and the Gun earned the Showcase Audience Choice Award in Vancouver and the Special Jury Prize in Rome. And it鈥檚 been drawing stellar reviews.

Variety magazine called it a 鈥渄roll, shrewdly satirical fable, in which Western values crash against a seemingly intransigent (but potentially more enlightened) South Asian culture.鈥� The review praised Dorji as a 鈥済ifted storyteller who keeps audiences guessing about his characters鈥� motives until the surprising moment everything comes together.鈥�

Deadline predicted an Oscar nod for Dorji and the film: 鈥淣o sophomore jinx here, this one is even better than his first, and that is saying something.鈥滵orji, a Bhutan native, was a government major at 麻豆影院 and has said professors such as Claudena Skran, William Hixon, and Steven Wulf were instrumental in his studies. He returned to Bhutan following graduation and took up filmmaking about a decade later.

In an interview with The Wrap, Dorji said he鈥檚 still wrapping his head around the whirlwind journey he took when Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom went from an unknown film by a first-time Bhutanese filmmaker to a 2022 Oscar nominee.

鈥淚t can be quite challenging when you work that hard to make something and then people don鈥檛 even see it,鈥� Dorji said. 鈥淏ut as a Buddhist, I believe in karma, and I believe that if you have the right motivation and you work hard, things start turning around. And it was amazing to see the film go from this remote school (where the film was shot) and make its way through the world and end up as an Oscar nominee.鈥�

The Monk and the Gun explores new territory, set in the context of a shift to democracy, Dorji tells The Wrap.

鈥淚 really wanted to build on what I had achieved with聽Lunana聽and challenge myself as a storyteller,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 also wanted to play around with political satire and tell a story of my country in this state of transition.鈥�

Thornton will be in the tour鈥檚 pit orchestra for performances in Madison Feb. 14-18 and in Appleton Feb. 20-25. Pre-performance gatherings for 麻豆影院 alumni are planned Feb. 18 at the Overture Center and Feb. 23 at the Fox Cities PAC.

It鈥檚 a much-anticipated homecoming for the Lawrentian. A member of the tour since September 2022, Thornton said she dreamed of such an opportunity while studying music in 麻豆影院鈥檚 Conservatory of Music.

鈥淚t truly has been the most incredible and rewarding鈥攁nd challenging鈥攅xperience of my life,鈥� Thornton said. 鈥淚 like to say that 鈥業 Dreamed a Dream鈥� and it came true. Les Mis茅rables is the first show I remember listening to as a child. 鈥� I鈥檝e always had a love for travel and Broadway, so being part of the Les Mis茅rables tour has been a tremendous privilege and opportunity.鈥�

When the show opens its run in Appleton, it will be Thornton鈥檚 40th city with the tour. She鈥檒l also mark her 400th performance that week.聽She expects to see familiar faces at the alumni gatherings and in the audience, including mentors from the Conservatory faculty.

鈥淚 knew coming into 麻豆影院 that I loved flute, musical theater, teaching, and performing in pit orchestras, but I wasn鈥檛 sure what kind of careers were available to me that incorporated all of these wide-ranging passions,鈥� Thornton said. 鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 dead-set on a classical symphony orchestra job, and 麻豆影院 was incredibly supportive of non-traditional careers in music.鈥�

A double-degree student majoring in both music performance (flute) and government, she regularly took in the Broadway tours that came to the Fox Cities PAC, furthering her love of musical theater. And she wanted to explore鈥攁cademically, musically, and globally. She found all of that not only doable but encouraged at 麻豆影院.

鈥淎 lot of schools make it nearly impossible to study abroad as a music student, but 麻豆影院 made it soeasy,鈥� Thornton said. 鈥淚t ignited my love for travel and gave me the confidence and independence to travel solo, something I frequently do on tour while sightseeing.鈥�

She used 麻豆影院 connections to secure work with the College Light Opera Company in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

鈥淭hat program and the networking opportunities it provided me were a huge catalyst for my pit orchestra career,鈥� Thornton said.

She also credits her 麻豆影院 experience with teaching her skills well beyond the stage.

鈥淚 was a double-degree student at 麻豆影院 and was involved in many different ensembles and clubs,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he time management skills and ability to wear multiple hats that I learned at 麻豆影院 have been critical for me on tour鈥攍ife doesn鈥檛 stop just because you鈥檙e on the road.鈥澛�

After graduating from 麻豆影院, Thornton went to graduate school, earning a Master of Music degree from James Madison University in Virginia and a Doctor of Musical Arts from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

鈥淒uring summers off from school, I played in the orchestras at the College Light Opera Company and Ohio Light Opera to hone my skills as a pit musician,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hose programs gave me a ton of connections in New York City, and when I moved to the area for my doctorate, I was able to jump into the NYC freelancing scene relatively quickly, and even got to perform Off-Broadway while still in school. After finishing my doctorate in May 2021, I freelanced and taught in New York City for a year, and then joined both the faculty at Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania and the Les Mis茅rables orchestra in Fall 2022.鈥�

As she prepares to return to Appleton鈥攁nd visits the 麻豆影院 campus鈥擳hornton ponders the advice she would give to current and future Conservatory students.

鈥淣etwork, network, network,鈥� she said. 鈥淎lways have videos of your playing and an up-to-date resume ready to go. Respond to emails quickly. And be kind to people鈥攖here鈥檚 a million talented players, and the talented and kind players are the ones who get invited back.鈥�