Kendra Colton returns to her hometown to sing with the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra at 8 p.m. Saturday at The Victory.

Kendra Colton "upset the barrel" to win her first performance with the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra.

"The little punk beat the senior," she says, describing how, as a Harrison High School freshman, she outperformed a field of upper classmen in 1975 to win a piano concerto performance conducted by the philharmonic's music director at the time, Minas Christian.

Colton went on to build an international career as a soprano singer, performing with chamber groups, orchestras and opera companies in Europe and across the United States.

Throughout, she's returned home every few years as a featured soloist in concerts and oratorios conducted by Christian's successor, Stewart Kershaw, and then Alfred Savia, the philharmonic's music director since 1989.

This week Colton returns to sing two heavenly roles with her hometown orchestra.

Both are staples in a personal repertoire Colton has honed over more than two decades as a professional singer, performing with major symphonies across the nation, from Boston, where she's lived for the past 12 years, to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Minneapolis and New York.

Colton racks up the frequent flyer miles every week, traveling to Oberlin, Ohio, to teach Tuesdays and Wednesdays at Oberlin College's conservatory, performing most weekends in Boston or jetting off to engagements around the country.

Just this fall she's sung in Hawaii, Florida and Boston, with upcoming performances taking her back to Florida and then Ohio after her Evansville appearance.

She always looks forward to performing in her hometown, where her father still resides. This will be her first appearance here since January 2006 when she sang Mozart's Requiem.

Her only regret is that her mother, who died two years ago, won't be able to see the concert. "I have certain things that I do to keep her listening, though."

She is always grateful for the chance to sing these heavenly selections.

"They're both great pieces for a soprano," says Colton. "If you're invited to sing them, you should jump at it."

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2007/nov/15/heavenly-music-brings-soprano-home/