Opera singer Diane Thornton to perform benefit concert at WFU

The Wake Forest Music Department will co-sponsor a benefit concert for Cancer Services Inc. of Winston-Salem at 3 p.m. Feb. 13 in Brendle Recital Hall. The concert will feature cancer survivor and renowned opera singer Diane Thornton and pianist Ruskin Cooper.

Admission to the concert is free. Donations to Cancer Services will be accepted at the door, and all proceeds will benefit local cancer survivors and their families.

The concert, which is Thornton’s first local performance since becoming cancer-free, is in appreciation for the support she received from Cancer Services during her diagnosis and treatment. She is also dedicating the concert to her friend, artist and activist Elsie Dinsmore Popkin, who died Jan. 8 from complications during cancer treatment.

The concert program will include works by Robert Schumann, Franz Schubert, Richard Strauss, Aaron Copland and others.

Thornton is an artist associate in voice at Davidson College. She has performed locally with the Piedmont Opera Theater, Opera Carolina, Opera Greensboro and the Winston-Salem Symphony. Nationally, she has performed with The Opera Company of Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Opera Theater. She made her Carnegie Hall debut with the New England Symphonic Ensemble.

Cancer Services is a nonprofit organization that assists individuals diagnosed with cancer and their families from the point of diagnosis through long-term survivorship or death. Some of their services include compassion, patient advocacy, resources, education and personal assistance.

For information, call 336-758-5364.

Categories: Arts & Culture, Events