Admission is free and open to the public. On Thursday, September 22nd at 2:00 p.m., former Saddleback College applied opera student Gillian Watson will perform a recital that will include pieces by Ernest Charles, Brahms, and a collection of famous arias. Accompanied by her former teacher, Dr. Scott Farthing, the duo will present an entertaining concert.
A soprano with a rich and chocolaty voice, Gillian Watson grew up in Rancho Santa Margarita. She began singing in high school and fell in love with music and performance, but she was not sold on the idea of pursuing it as a career. She began college at UC Davis as a wildlife conservation major and had every intention of going to veterinary school – but the draw of music was too strong and in 2005 she switched her major to vocal performance. Ms. Watson then transferred to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music to finish her undergraduate work and graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree in 2009.
After completing her BM, she returned to Southern California and began taking classes with Dr. Scott Farthing. During this time, she performed in Suor Angelica (Puccini) and Mitridate (Mozart) both under the direction of Dr. Farthing. In 2011, Gillian returned to the San Francisco Conservatory to begin work on her Master’s degree and graduated with her MM in vocal performance in 2013.
Since finishing her formal education, Gillian has gone on to perform as Donna Anna (Don Giovanni) in Germany with the Lyric Opera Studio of Weimar, Erste Dame (The Magic Flute) with San Francisco based Waffle Opera and was honored to sing the lead role of Joan of Arc in the Philadelphia premiere of Tchaikovsky’s The Maid of Orleans. She has recently returned from singing the Mother in Hansel and Gretel and covering the lead role in Carlisle Floyd’s Susannah.
Saddleback College is located at 28000 Marguerite Pkwy in Mission Viejo, just east of Interstate 5 at the Avery Parkway exit. Free parking is available in Lot 12. Take Avery Parkway to Marguerite Parkway turn left to the third traffic light, which is Saddleback’s Marguerite entrance. Turn right into the campus and take the second left to Theatre Circle, turning right into Lot 12.
With a long tradition of excellence in music, the Saddleback College Vocal Program continues building on that tradition with the very finest in both standard vocal repertoire and the music of the cutting edge. The three primary choirs on campus include the Community Chorale and Concert Choir, which perform many concerts around the area throughout the school year. Membership is open in all three ensembles with the successful completion of a vocal placement interview at the beginning of each semester.
In addition to beginning, intermediate, and advanced-level vocal classes, Saddleback College offers private voice lessons to a select few vocalists who are planning on pursuing degrees in vocal performance at the University or Conservatory level. Past students in the Applied Music program have been accepted to prestigious music schools across the country. In addition, Saddleback College is proud to be one of a handful of community colleges in the state which offer its students the opportunity to perform in operas and opera scenes each semester.
Located in Mission Viejo, Saddleback College provides quality higher education and training to the greater south Orange County community. Having served more than 500,000 students since 1968, Saddleback College offers over 300 degree and certificate programs to help students reach their personal, career, and educational goals. For more information, please visit www.saddleback.edu and for Fine Arts information, please visit www.saddleback.edu/arts.
Nina Welch
Fine Arts Public Information Officer
Saddleback College
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Photo Credit: Shawn Flint Blair
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Nina Welch
Fine Arts Public Information Officer
