Karin Weston ’12 purposely chose to sing about strong women for her solo senior recital.
She relates to them.
“A lot of operas are written by men. They don’t really come from a woman’s point of view,” says Weston, a soprano who is a double major in molecular biology and music at 61´«Ã½.
On March 31, Weston performs her senior solo recital at 7 p.m. in the Boone Recital Hall, 61´«Ã½ Performing Arts Center, 241 E. 10th St. The event is free and open to the public.
She will be accompanied by Paul R. Bishop, 61´«Ã½performance staff pianist. “He’s absolutely amazing,” she says.
Sarah Chung ’15, 61´«Ã½ first-year student, will also accompany her in some of the pieces with the violin. “I’m so lucky to be working with her,” Weston says.
Born in Pakistan, Weston will return to Saudi Arabia – where she grew up and where her parents currently live – after she graduates. She then plans to prepare for the MCAT and work on her applications to medical schools and has set her sights on the University of Washington.
At 22, she has traveled extensively. “I’ve been to 28 countries. I’ve counted.”
Ten of her close friends and family members – including her parents and her sister, Leah – fly in this week for her performance. She has thought of her recital in the days leading up to it, but she is also focused on revising and completing her senior thesis in molecular biology.
She enjoyed majoring in both molecular biology and music because they “draw out different aspects of me.”
For her recital, she portrays and sings about female “witches, queens, and warriors.”
“In classical music, women are often portrayed as victims, or are passive objects of adoration,” Weston explains. Of the seven composers featured in her recital, four are women.
“Because this program is about women, I felt it was important to give women a voice,” Weston says. “It really does make a difference when an opera is written by a woman.”