'It’s going to be a very good mix': guest artist Justin John Moniz to perform at UNC

On Sept. 27 at 8 p.m., tenor Justin John Moniz will be performing at the Hill Hall auditorium. 

Moniz is the three-time winner of the American Prize in Vocal Performance, and he is also the current executive director of the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival and Hawaii Governor of the National Opera Association.

“I met (Moniz), originally, through the National Opera Association, which we both belong to,” said Marc Callahan, an assistant professor of voice at UNC.

Callahan said that several UNC students had attended the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival last summer and saw Moniz perform.

Moniz is the supervisor of NYU’s graduate vocal pedagogy program and teaches pedagogical theory and applied voice.

"Not only is he a wonderful performer and singer, but he is also an incredible educator and entrepreneur," Callahan said.

Callahan decided to invite Moniz to perform at UNC for not only music majors, but also for anyone in the UNC community.

Moniz has sung at many prestigious concert halls and theaters across the nation, including the Chicago Symphony Center, Opera New Jersey and the Orchestra of Northern New York. He has sung opera, musical theatre and classical music, and he will showcase his abilities in different genres during his recital at UNC. 

“It’s going to be a very good mix," Moniz said. "I think the program really speaks to very different audiences. The first half (of my performance) is more classical in nature.”

Some of the selections Moniz will sing include pieces by French composer Henri Duparc and British composer Benjamin Britten.

The second half of Moniz’s recital will focus solely on American compositions. 

“There’s going to be lots of Great American Songbook music, featuring composers like Irving Berlin,” Moniz said. “There will be lots of tunes people recognize, and then we’re going to tie it into musical theater.”

Qiao "Ciao" Zheng Goh, music director and vocal coach for UNC Opera, said Moniz will also perform samples from the music of American composers George Gershwin, Cole Porter, John Musto and Stephen Sondheim.

One piece in particular, Musto’s “Shadow of the Blues” includes heavy jazz influences, Goh said.

Moniz will also be teaching a masterclass in the Hill Hall auditorium from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. the following day.

"Some of the students from the UNC Voice Program will attend the masterclass on Saturday," Moniz said. "There will be a couple who are selected to sing for me, and I'll give them feedback and work with them in kind of an open lesson type of setting. I think it is going to be a lot of fun."

Moniz will give these students constructive advice about the technical aspects of singing, like breathing, posture and alignment. Each student will bring pieces of music he or she is working on, and Moniz will cater his critiques to each individual.

“(Moniz) has such an incredibly beautiful tenor voice,” Callahan said. “I think it’s going to be an evening of really delightful singing.”

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