What do Brahms, Stevie Nicks, and Michael Jackson have in common? They’re all sharing a stage at SFCM.

This cross-genre view is what audiences can expect when Askonas Holt artist Craig Terry visits SFCM for a Voice Department residency culminating in a performance called Beyond the Aria in the Bowes Centers’ 11th floor Barbro Osher Recital Hall on October 25.

The concert will feature GRAMMY-winning Opus 3 Artist Christine Goerke and baritone Hugh Russell, alongside four vocal students chosen through an audition process: Lily Bogas, Seth Hanson, Macy Mullins, and Vuyiswa Sigadi. 

Craig Terry works with students in the Cha Chi Ming Recital Hall.

“It’s such an exciting opportunity to show how fun it can be when genres intersect!” said Bogas, who studies with Catherine Cook. “I think audiences can expect to see something really different,” she added. 

The concert will feature classic opera repertoire from the likes of Wagner and Handel, but also the music of pop icons like Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. Terry also traveled to SFCM to work with students ahead of the concert.

 “This is about showcasing voices as real 21st-century trained singers who are able to do it all, from American classics to opera icons,” Terry said. Askonas Holt is part of SFCM’s family of industry partners—along with Opus 3 Artists and record label Pentatone—that collaborate to elevate the student and audience experience.

In addition to the four vocalists, the finale includes 30 students.

“Walking into this, I wasn’t quite sure what I was getting myself into!” Sigadi said. The singer is a student of César Ulloa, and is excited to create something fresh for audiences. "Craig Terry has a way of taking a group of musicians from various different backgrounds, and giving them an opportunity to break out of their mold a bit. I think that’s very exciting, especially as someone whose roots go beyond classical music,” Sigadi added. 

Beyond the Aria is already an established concert series for more than a decade; this will be the first time it will come to the West Coast. “I'm excited for audiences to come and listen to excellent arias, art songs, and contemporary music that sound and feel comforting, exciting, and unexpected,” Hanson said. The tenor is a student of Richard Cox and is excited to present something SFCM audiences may have never seen: “Craig helps bring a lot of great texture to any repertoire, from opera to musical theatre to pop. He brings out the best in us creatively.”

The evening will continue to blend opera and contemporary music in a multi-genre performance culminating in a thrilling finale that will feature 30 students, staged by Opera and Musical Theatre Chair Heather Mathews. 

Students work with Askonas Holt artist Craig Terry at the piano.

“Expect the unexpected!” Sigadi said of concert goers, adding that there will be something for everyone, from pop fans, to classical icons, “Come with open hearts and minds, excited to hear people sing some things that aren’t normally viewed as ‘their thing.’” Sigadi added.

Guests are asked to reserve tickets for this concert on Saturday, October 25 2025, 7:30 PM in SFCM’s Barbro Osher Recital Hall at 200 Van Ness Ave. 

General admission tickets include a wine reception with the artists. Guests are asked to reserve seats early as ticketing is limited.