On Wednesday 14 January 2026, acclaimed soprano Susan Narucki presents a recital at the Conrad Prebys Concert Hall, San Diego, United States. An evening of music that explores the fusion of poetry and music through the prism of a wide range of compositional styles and practices. With longtime colleague and collaborative partner Donald Berman, Susan presents Siete Haiku by Colombian composer Alba Potes to texts by Jorge Luis Borges, songs by Dora Pejačević and the world premiere of Boston composer Scott Wheeler’s Ausländer Lieder, a cycle set to evocative texts by the 20th Century poet Rose Ausländer. Susan is also joined by coloratura soprano Kirsten Ashley Wiest, continuing their exploration of new music for two soprano voices. The duo presents two world premieres: Melisande by Marti Epstein as well as come sempre by Dutch composer and poet Rozalie Hirs. Both works will be part of Susan and Kirsten’s upcoming cd recording project.
The newly commissioned work come sempre for soprano and coloratura soprano (2025) was composed by Rozalie Hirs for Narucki’s ongoing project Two Voices. Hirs based the new work on the first poem of her poetry collection ecologica (Uitgeverij Vleugels, 2023), translated into Italian by Patrizia Filia. The premiere is performed by Susan Narucki (soprano) and Kirsten Ashley Wiest (coloratura soprano).
About Susan Narucki
American soprano Susan Narucki is widely admired for her luminous voice and profound dedication to contemporary music. A passionate advocate for new opera, she has created leading roles in landmark works including Louis Andriessen and Peter Greenaway’s Writing to Vermeer, Claude Vivier’s Rêves d’un Marco Polo, and Elliott Carter’s What Next? at the Dutch National Opera. As a soloist, she has appeared with the Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Netherlands Opera, and has been frequently heard at Carnegie Hall.
Her extensive discography includes award-winning recordings on major labels. Notably, she was featured on George Crumb’s Star-Child, winner of the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition, and on The Edge of Silence: Vocal Music of Kurtág (AVIE), which was nominated for Best Classical Vocal Recording. In recognition of her artistry and teaching, Narucki received the UCSD Chancellor’s Associates Faculty Excellence Award (2014), and she currently serves as Distinguished Professor of Music at the University of California, San Diego.
Narucki and Hirs have collaborated previously on Hirs’ orchestral song cycle arbre généalogique (2011), featured on the composer’s portrait album Rosehart (2025).
Date: 2026-01-14
Time: 7PM
Location: Conrad Prebys Concert Hall, University of California San Diego, 9410 Russell Ln, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States
Performers: Susan Narucki (soprano) and Kirsten Ashley Wiest (coloratura)
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Download concert programme [PDF]