Journal of Singing Editorial Board

Kristine Hurst-Wajszczuk

Soprano Kristine Hurst-Wajszczuk was featured in the title role of the 2015 production Dido & Aeneas presented by Bourbon Baroque, Louisville’s period instrument ensemble. She debuted with the Boulder Bach Festival in 2004 and with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra in 2011. Her solo oratorio repertoire ranges from Bach to Samuel Barber; operatic roles from Monteverdi to Stravinsky. She performed for composer Bill Mayer’s 70th birthday celebration concert in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in the role of Madeline in the composer’s The Eve of St. Agnes. In 2002, she was a regional finalist in the National Association of Teachers of Singing Artist Award competition; in 2006, she appeared on a Wisconsin Public’s Radio broadcast of Live from the Chazen Museum.
An active recitalist dedicated to performing works by living composers, Dr. Hurst-Wajszczuk appeared with the Birmingham Art Music Alliance (BAMA) in a premiere of songs by Craig Biondi. Additional American premieres include theatre songs by composer Zeke Hecker, songs by Steven Mercurio, and performances and recordings of music by David Hogg. Recent recitals have taken her all over the United States and Italy, with upcoming concerts in Florida and Georgia.
A specialist in the lute songs of John Dowland, her solo CD of Dowland lute songs was released in 2008 by Centaur. She has performed and lectured throughout North America on the socio-political intrigue surrounding the songs. An avid student of several languages, she has won several grants to study at the Middlebury College German for Singers program and for private study in Vienna, Austria. In 2010, she was a fellow at the Early Music Vancouver “Compleat Singer Programme.” In 2013-14, she was a Fulbright finalist, and was invited to teach at the Konservatorium Wien Privatuniversität.
Dr. Hurst-Wajszczuk was a featured presenter at the 2013 NATS Winter Workshop, as well as the 2011 Tampa Bay Fall Workshop. She has presented her research at various national and international conferences, including NATS, NOA, ICVT, CMS, and the Athena Festival. Her articles have appeared in several issues of the Journal of Singing, for which she serves as the Online Index Editor. She also serves as the Alabama NATS Governor, and has developed an undergraduate Poster Session to feature the research of students; the inaugural session will take place during the 2016 winter auditions. With her students at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, she founded the state’s first SNATS chapter, which brings an average of four guest clinicians to campus each semester.
Dr. Hurst-Wajszczuk is Associate Professor of Voice and Director of Opera at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Under her direction, UAB Opera has gained national visibility, winning three awards in the NOA Opera Production Competition in the past four years. Her students have appeared in roles at summer programs such as the Aspen Festival, national musical tours, regional theatres, cruise ships, and television shows. They have regularly placed in state, regional, and semifinals of national NATS competitions, and have won awards at the Alabama Federation of Music Clubs and the Classical Singer competitions. Her students are accepted into top graduate schools and summer programs both here and abroad. For more information, please visit www.kristinehurst.com.