Frater Nik Wenzel will make his professional opera debut this summer in “The Barber of Seville” in this summer’s Southern Illinois Music Festival. The performances will be at Shryock Auditorium on Saturday, June 28 at 7:30pm.

Nikolas Wenzel is a first year Master of Music student at Northwestern University studying in the studio of Bruce Hall. A 2007 graduate of Southern Illinois University, where he was a student of Richard Best and Dr. David Dillard, he was the winner numerous accolades, including winning the SIU Solo Concerto Competition as an undergraduate.

Northwestern University Opera credits include Bottom in Benjamin Britten’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and Dulcamara in Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’amore.” Southern Illinois University Opera credits include the title role in “Don Pasquale” and Peter (The Father) in Humperdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel.” Solo concert appearances include “A Night at the Opera” with the Northwestern University Philharmonia, Antonio in Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro” (Southern Illinois Music Festival), Bach’s “Magnificat” (Southern Illinois University and Northwestern University), and Southern Illinois Symphony’s “Halloween Pops.” Favorite professional theatre credits include “The Lost Colony” (Terrence Mann, director), George the Bartender in McLeod Summer Playhouse’s production of “My Fair Lady,” and Henry Kleber in “Stephen Foster - The Musical!”

- Nik’s bio above is taken from the Southern Illinois Music Festival website -