Joey Wilgenbusch Honor Gala

Jessica Miller, Patch Staff

Posted Thu, Jul 19, 2012 at 2:56 pm CT

--- Press Release

ISU MUSIC FACULTY, STUDENTS, AND ALUMNI JOIN FORCES IN MEMORIAL GALA HONORING JOEY WILGENBUSCH

Acclaimed bass--‐baritone Simon Estes and Iowa State University music faculty, students, and alumni will join forces this summer for a memorial gala honoring ISU alumnus, tenor Joey Wilgenbusch. The concert will take place Sunday, July 29, 2012 at 2 p.m. in the Martha-Ellen Tye Recital Hall on the Iowa State University campus with a reception following the performance. No admission will be charged, but free will contributions are fully tax deductible and will go towards establishing an ISU voice scholarship in memory of Joey Wilgenbusch. The program for this event includes performances by ISU alumni who are now singing professionally throughout the United States and Europe in addition to featured ISU faculty members tenor Donald Simonson, mezzo-soprano Mary Creswell, bass‐baritone Simon Estes, and pianist Jodi Goble. The first half will feature art song and chamber music, while the second half includes hits from opera, operetta, and music theater.

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Joey Wilgenbusch, born in Victor, Iowa, graduated from Iowa State University in 2005 with a degree in Vocal Performance. He then completed a Master of Music degree at the prestigious Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. A talented young singer/actor, Wilgenbusch was living and performing professionally in New York City when a heart attack stemming from a birth defect tragically ended his life December 26, 2011. A dynamic life force, Joey inspired great artistry and made instantaneous, yet lasting connections wherever he went. The memorial scholarship fund in Joey's name, created through the ISU Foundation and Department of Music, honors his memory by encouraging and supporting promising singers.