The Bienen School of Music’s production of “Dead Man Walking” was named one of the top ten performances of 2015, according to Chicago Classical Review.
In his roundup of noteworthy Chicago-area classical music events in 2015, Lawrence A. Johnson ranked Northwestern University Opera Theater’s production fifth on the list, noting that local audiences finally had the opportunity to discover Jake Heggie’s “Dead Man Walking” fifteen years after its San Francisco debut.
“The powerful performances by the student singers and effective staging made for a compelling and devastating experience that rivaled anything seen on local professional stages in 2015,” the article says.
The Bienen School presented “Dead Man Walking” in February 2015, directed by artist-in-residence and director of opera Michael Ehrman. Featuring music by Jake Heggie and libretto by Terrence McNally, the opera is based on the book of the same title by Sister Helen Prejean and tells story of a nun’s journey as spiritual advisor to Joseph De Rocher, a convicted murderer on death row.