Joel Balzun and Kevin Garnica

Biola alumnus Joel Balzun returns to our Music at Noon stage with a fun program entitled "All-American Zoo." The program will include works by Fine, Hundley, and Salerni.

Baritone and composer Joel David Balzun currently serves on the Voice and Opera faculties of Biola University and Fullerton College. Recently awarded a full fellowship to the Vocal Arts Program at the Tanglewood Music Center, Mr. Balzun made his Kennedy Center Debut in 2014 as "Ping" (Turandot). His 2015-2016 season include "Cascada" (The Merry Widow) with Pacific Opera Project, "Dr. Malatesta" (Don Pasquale) with Angel City Opera, "Valentin" (Faust) with Redlands Opera Theatre, as well as recitals at Biola University and La Habra United Methodist Church, featuring Robert Denham's Sutter Creek. Other favourite roles include the title role in Don Giovanni, the Four Villains (Les contes d'Hoffmann), "Sid" (Albert Herring), "Marquis de la Force" (Dialogues of the Carmelites), and "John Brooke" (Little Women, M. Adamo).

Also a successful composer, Mr. Balzun's "haunting and beautiful" music has garnered awards, commissions and performances in Canada, Costa Rica, the United States, and the United Kingdom. He was a guest composer at the 2013 CBDNA National Conference, and at the 2014 CFAMC National Conference, where he was also a guest performer.

Mr. Balzun studied Music Composition and Vocal Performance at University of Calgary, Biola University, and the Eastman School of Music, where he earned his Master's degree under the tutelage of Jan Opalach. http://www.joelbalzun.com/

Dr. Kevin Garnica is a freelance collaborative pianist as well as staff accompanist and studio artist at Biola University.  He has made recordings and given recitals with members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, including concertmaster Martin Chalifour, and performed with orchestras throughout Europe and Southern California. In 2000, he participated in Songfest with Martin Katz. Dr. Garnica received his bachelor’s in piano performance and master’s in composition at Cal State, Fullerton, under Eduardo Delgado and Dr. Lloyd Rodgers, respectively. In 2011, he received his doctorate in collaborative piano at the University of Texas, Austin.