Get to know AustinWhat are you doing in school?
"I’m at the Sunderman Conservatory of Music, studying vocal performance." How long have you been singing in choirs? "I started at age 5 singing with the Children’s Chorus of Maryland and taking musicianship classes." What is your favorite musical memory? “Staging my first opera, Dead Man Walking, with Baltimore Opera. I was 7 (so not exactly age-appropriate material) but definitely an experience I’ll never forget." Do you have any special talents or interests outside of music? “I ride horses!” Who is your favorite composer? "I love Amy Beach!" Who's your favorite non-classical musical artist? "Florence and the Machine" What song have you not been able to stop listening to? "Low Country Haze by Dan Viscotti. I saw it last summer at the BSO, and it’s astounding how accurately the piece represents its inspiration, which is Lewis & Clark and crew’s depictions in their journals of their explorations. Some really cool new music." What's your favorite book you've read? "A Clockwork Orange. Creepy? Yes. Compelling? Yes." Dinosaurs or puppies? “Dinosaurs, but only the ones that were herbivores" What's your favorite sports team? “The San Francisco Giants!" What were you doing during the summer when you were in middle school? “I used to do this challenge in middle school where if you read 100 books over the summer, you won a prize, so probably reading." What's your favorite thing about singing in Lux? "Everyone who sings with Lux is not only very talented but also so excited and passionate about what the group does, and it’s fun to be surrounded by that." What's your favorite song you've sung with Lux? "I loved singing She Walks in Beauty [by Paul Mealor]. Just really cool melodies and a beautiful setting of really intimate poetry." What's the most interesting fact about you? “I’m a vegan!" |
Austin Nikirk is looking forward to her fourth season with Lux. She is a senior at the Sunderman Conservatory of Music, studying Vocal Performance. At the conservatory, Austin is a member of the College Choir and Audeamus treble voice ensemble, and studies in the studio of Dr. Susan Hochmiller. This fall, Austin studied abroad in Paris, France, at the École Normale de Musique, in the studio of Madame Sylvie Valayre. Austin has sung in choirs since she was 5 years old, starting with the Children’s Chorus of Maryland under Betty Berteaux, and, upon graduation, the American Kodály Children’s Chorus. Austin also was a soprano in the Second Presbyterian choir, under conductor Philip Olsen. As a soloist, she has sung in nine operas, and had roles in four: Cis in Albert Herring, the First Witch in Dido and Aeneas, and Adele in Die Fledermaus.
News & UpdatesForces of Nature
July 5, 2019 | 7PM St. Jerome Catholic Church | Hyattsville, MD Senior Recital: Austin Nikirk February 29, 2019 | 7PM Paul Recital Hall, Sunderman Conservatory | Gettysburg, PA |