Drake University is proud to present the next artist of the Jordan Concert Series—Drake alumnus and Metropolitan Opera tenor, Eric Ferring.
A masterclass with Drake voice students will be held Oct. 12 from 3–5 p.m. in Sheslow Auditorium on Drake University’s campus. A concert with Ferring is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 14, at 7:30 p.m. in Sheslow with a reception following at the Turner Jazz Center. All events are free and open to the public.
A Dubuque, Iowa native, Ferring graduated magna cum laude from Drake with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance. Since then, he obtained a master’s degree from The Boston Conservatory, made acclaimed debuts with the Metropolitan Opera and Santa Fe Opera, is a recipient of numerous awards, and most recently, released his own album.
Since his debut in the 2021–2022 season, Ferring has graced the Metropolitan Opera’s stage 33 times. Acclaimed for his “fine, gleaming tenor” by the New York Classical Review, he has a range that spans from “early bel canto repertoire…to the origination of contemporary operatic roles.” A recipient of numerous top prizes at competitions, including the Dorothy Lincoln-Smith Classical Voice Competition through the National Society Arts and Letters, Ferring still has much to showcase in future seasons with returns to Opéra de Rouen and debuts with Opéra de Paris and the Opéra national du Rhin as Tamino.
His first solo album No Choice but Love: Songs of the LGBTQ+ Community with pianist Madeline Slettedahl was released on Lexicon Classics in the fall of 2022. Lexicon Classics is a critically acclaimed independent classical music label that embraces unique creations and voices, and Ferring serves as their Project Curator. In late 2023, Ferring will be releasing a new album, We have tomorrow, with Slettedahl and French string quartet Quatuor Agate.
The Jordan Concert Series is named in honor of Alice and Frank B. Jordan, a prominent couple in Drake’s history. Alice (Yost) Jordan graduated from Drake University in 1938 and married Dr. Frank B. Jordan, a long-time professor of music and former dean of Drake University’s College of Fine Arts.
Alice Jordan published more than 250 choral and organ works during a long and distinguished career as a composer. Several of her works gained international exposure. She was active in the Des Moines community, serving on the boards of the Des Moines Symphony Association, the Des Moines Women’s Club, the Drake Alumnae Association, and President of the Des Moines Civic Music Association. She received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Drake in 2006 and was inducted into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame in 2002.
The Jordans founded the Jordan Concert Series in 1992, and when Alice passed away in 2012, the legacy for the concert series began. The Jordan Concert performance will take place at their namesake venue, the Jordan Stage of Sheslow Auditorium.
For more information contact Fine Arts Coordinator Jacob Lemons at jacob.lemons@drake.edu.