Two acclaimed young vocalists, soprano Emma Robertson and mezzo-soprano Grace Heldridge, will take the stage on March 15 for a one-night-only recital celebrating the strength, passion, and richness of the female experience. Presented by the Wilkinson Young Singers Fund (WYSF), the event will spotlight the exceptional talents of the 2023 and 2024 first-prize winners of the Wilkinson Young Singers Award, with Grammy-winning pianist Matthew Larson accompanying. RSVP for the free concert  HERE

Established in 2020 as a non-profit cultural and educational organization, the Wilkinson Young Singers Fund honors the legacy of Donald R. Wilkinson (1961–2018), a revered bass-baritone, conductor, and educator who for decades was a significant figure in Boston’s classical music scene. Known for his “superb” voice (Boston Globe) “outstanding solo work” (New York Times), and “warm, inviting tones” (Boston Musical Intelligencer), Wilkinson performed regularly with ensembles including The Boston Camerata, Boston Baroque, Emmanuel Music, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra and was the founder of the Nahant Music Festival. He was also an esteemed music educator, holding teaching positions at Phillips Academy Andover, Harvard, MIT, and Tufts. BMInt’s remembrance of the man is HERE]

“We’re honored and humbled to carry forward Don Wilkinson’s commitment to nurturing vocal talent in the Boston area,” says David Deschamps, WYSF board president. “Thanks to our incredibly visionary supporters, we are now able to offer an annual scholarship of $5,000 to the winner of our competition who best exemplifies Don’s remarkable musicianship and versatility as a singer. And while the cash prize is essential to our mission, we’re doing more than simply providing financial support — we’re also giving first-prize winners an opportunity to perform and connect with one another, as well as with the Boston community.”

The upcoming recital — curated by the prizewinners in collaboration with Matthew Larson, who serves as WYSF’s musical director for this biennial recital series — will feature an ambitious program that explores the diverse facets of womanhood through opera, art song, and musical theater. Selections range from classic arias by Mozart, Puccini, and Bizet to art songs by Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, and Libby Larsen and musical theater selections by Irving Berlin, Stephen Sondheim, and Rodgers & Hammerstein. “The program includes a large number of duets,” notes Robertson, “and that’s no accident.” Adds Heldridge: “That camaraderie is something we felt compelled to highlight — especially now, when we need each other more than ever.”

Praised for her “outstanding range” (OperaWire) and “elegant” voice (Boston Musical Intelligencer), Emma Robertson — winner of the 2023 WYSF Award — holds a master’s degree in Vocal Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music. A native of Georgia, Robertson made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2023 and has performed opera and musical theater with Boston Opera Collaborative, the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, the Actors Company of Natick, the NEMPAC Opera Project, and the Cambridge Chamber Music Ensemble. She was the soprano section leader/soloist at St. Cecilia’s Parish in Back Bay from 2021 to 2024 and recently made her Boston Lyric Opera Chorus debut in Erich Korngold’s Die Tote Stadt.

Grace Heldridge, winner of the 2024 WYSF Award, earned a master’s degree in Opera from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where she was named the Miles A. Fish III Scholar and performed numerous roles, including Cherubino in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, Hermia in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Hannah Older in Laura Kaminsky’s As One. A native of Nebraska, she is currently in residence at Berlin’s Internationales Opernstudio at the Komische Oper and appears this season in the company’s productions of Kurt Weill’s Tom Sawyer; Franz Wittenbrink’s Die kleine Hexe; and Consistent Fantasy is Reality, a musical theater production by Turkish singer and activist Gaye Su Akyol.

Matthew Larson will serve as Music Director & Accompanist

 Thanks to generous support from an array of donors, tickets for the recital are available at no charge on a first-come, first-served basis by registering at the WYSF website. The event will be held at the Harvard Musical Association on Saturday, March 15 at 7:30 pm and will be preceded by a champagne reception at 6:30. To RSVP and learn more about WYSF — including guidelines for the 2025 vocal competition — visit www.wilkinsonfund.org.

by Bennett Singer