MGS presents Danielle Talamantes & Kerry Wilkerson, vocal duo

Husband and wife duo, Danielle Talamantes and Kerry Wilkerson light up the stage individually but together their performances bring both their passion for music and each other to an exhilarating level.

A native of Northern Virginia, Mexican-American soprano Danielle Talamantes made her Carnegie Hall début in a sold-out solo recital in 2007, and was the Soprano in Residence for the Summer 2012 at the Marlboro Music Festival in Marlboro, Vermont.  Recent engagements for Talamantes also included the role of Mimì in La bohème with Fairfax Symphony, made her Hawaii Opera Theater début as Violetta in La traviata, performed Beatrice in Il Postino with Virginia Opera, and returned to The Metropolitan Opera for their production of Carmen.  An accomplished recitalist, Talamantes was a featured soloist with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, National Philharmonic Chorale & Orchestra, United States Army Band, Oratorio Society of Virginia, Nashville Symphony, Choralis, and the Baltimore Choral Arts Society.

Kerry Wilkerson's solo career has taken him from coast to coast performing renowned oratorios and exciting recitals. A resonant singer with unique evenness in register, the Washington Post has described him as an 'exuberant' performer having the 'amber tone of a lyric baritone with the imposing weight demanded by Handel's low-lying writing'. He has enjoyed a celebrated career as a member of the United States Army Chorus; singing and conducting for world leaders, Supreme Court Justices, politicians and dignitaries of many nations during official ceremony and protocol events.

Danielle & Kerry will be joined by pianist Arlene Shrut for this event.

Collaborative pianist and vocal coach Arlene Shrut has served for several decades as official pianist for international opera and art song competitions sponsored by The Gerda Lissner Foundation. She is co-artistic director of The Gerda Lissner Foundation and was recently elected as vice president on the board of trustees. Shrut often serves as official pianist for district and southeast regional auditions for the Met Laffont Competition. Other competitions for which she has played include The Licia Albanese Puccini Foundation, the Giulio Gari Foundation, and The Loren Zachary Society.  The Sorel Organization presented Shrut with the first Sorel Legacy Medallion, which recognizes the work of women whose careers reflect lifetime achievement in music. 
Formerly a faculty member at The Juilliard School and MSM, Shrut has served on the vocal coaching faculty at UNCG since 2018 and is on the artist faculty of Source Song Festival and mentors its singer-pianist duos. Shrut also cherishes ongoing collaborations with Defiant Requiem
Foundation.

Danielle Talamantes & Kerry Wilkerson, vocal duo

Friday, October 2, 2026 - 7:30 pm
Christ United Methodist Church

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