Creation, Contemplation, and the Triumph of the Human Spirit –
Beethoven’s music at its most visionary.

From Fire to Joy invites the audience to experience a transformative journey through Beethoven’s music—from mythic origins to universal brotherhood. The evening begins with the spirited Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus, celebrating the symbolic gift of fire—creativity, knowledge, and defiance. The Piano Concerto No. 4 follows with its quiet, introspective voice: a musical meditation on struggle and resilience, where dialogue replaces conflict. The program culminates in Beethoven’s monumental Symphony No. 9, where the composer—deaf and isolated—reaches outward to proclaim a vision of unity and joy. This concert is not only a tribute to Beethoven’s genius but a reflection on the enduring human capacity for hope, transformation, and connection.

The Program

Creatures of Prometheus Overture
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major
Featuring Award-winning Guest Artist Michael Stephen Brown, Piano Soloist
Symphony No. 9 "Ode to Joy" Choral Symphony
With Vocal Soloists:
Miracle Amah, Soprano
Lauren Bolla, Mezzo Soprano
Thomas Studebaker, Tenor
Peter Volpe, Bass Baritone
And Choruses including:
Bradley Chorale, Illinois Central College Concert Choir,
and the Eastern Illinois University Concert Choir

Miracle Amah

A native of Nigeria, soprano Miracle Amah is known for the lyricism and beauty of her voice and her compelling presence on stage. Presently based in Central Illinois, she performs various genres of music which includes opera, art songs, oratorios, popular music, contemporary music, negro spirituals, and jazz. Amah has played major roles in opera productions, and her staged performances include recitals, masterclasses, scenes and full opera productions in Nigeria, Canada, Russia, Germany, Dubai and the United States.
Amah maintains a professional singing career as she writes lyrics and premiers new compositions by Nigerian and African composers. Appended to her credentials are a doctoral degree in Vocal Performance, Pedagogy and Literature from James Madison University Master’s degree in Opera and Vocal performance from the Longy School of Music, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Associate board of the royal school of music (ABRSM) Licentiate in vocal performance (LRSM); which is a Bachelor of Music in vocal performance.
Miracle has given lectures and masterclasses at colleges, institutions, schools and churches, including the Mountain Top Conservatory of Music – where she was Assistant Professor teaching vocal techniques. She has given recitals featuring Nigerian music highlighting several languages and genres.

Thomas Studebaker

Thomas Studebaker has established himself as a powerful Heldentenor, having appeared with many of the world’s leading orchestras and opera companies since 1995.

Highlights of Mr. Studebaker’s orchestral engagements include Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with both the London Philharmonic Orchestra and New York Philharmonic with conductor Kurt Masur, the WDR Orchestra in Cologne under Semyon Bychkov, the New York Philharmonic with Lorin Maazel, the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam with Edo de Waart, as well as with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony, and the Israel Philharmonic. He has sung Waldemar in Schönberg’s Gurrelieder with the Nagoya Philharmonic, the Tokyo Symphony and the American Symphony Orchestra at the Bard Festival, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the London Philharmonic and Kurt Masur, and Max Bruch’s Moses with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Mr. Studebaker made his debut as Siegmund in Die Walküre at New Orleans Opera and has since repeated the role at Lyric Opera of Chicago and at the famed Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires under the direction of Charles Dutoit. He has sung Narraboth in Salome for the Santa Fe Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Seattle Opera, and L’Opéra de Montreal, sang the title role in Act II of Parsifal with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Jesús López Cobos, was Froh in Das Rheingold in Seattle, Max in Der Freischütz with the Opera Orchestra of New York at Carnegie Hall, sang Erik in Der fliegende Holländer with the Pittsburgh Opera and Opera Australia, and in concert with Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony,

Lauren Bolla

Lauren Bolla is a mezzo soprano originally from Chesterton, IN. She is currently pursuing studies in Vocal Performance at Indiana University under the tutelage of Peter Volpe. She has performed many roles spanning opera and musical theatre, including Marcellina (Le Nozze di Figaro), Beggar Woman (Sweeney Todd), and La Zelatrice (Suor Angelica). She also performed in the chorus of the world premiere of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, in collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera.  Bolla has performed scenes as Jo March (Little Women), Orfeo (Orfeo ed Euridice), and Miss Todd (The Old Maid and the Thief). She is the 2025 second prize winner of the Indianapolis Matinee Musicale competition. An avid lover of song, Bolla has sung lieder in Graz, Austria with AIMS in 2024. In Graz, she also had the opportunity to sing excerpts from Handel’s Messiah in the Graz Cathedral. Bolla is currently an alto choral scholar at Trinity Episcopal Church in Bloomington, Indiana. 

Peter Volpe, Bass

Peter Volpe is professor of music in voice at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. Praised for his “stentorian and robust bass” by The New York Times, American bass Volpe continually receives critical and popular acclaim across four continents for his powerful command and rich texture of his timbre. He has performed at leading opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, Washington National Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and San Francisco Opera, among many others.

Possessing a vast repertoire of over 90 roles in six languages in a career spanning more than 35 years, his captivating style and interpretive skills embrace the depth of every historical and fictional character he embodies. Of his portrayal of Prince Gremin in Eugene Onegin, Opera News applauded his ability “to create in his single aria and scene an impressive dignity. His full-bodied bass and great candor of tone, together with his intelligent interpretation, won him a well-deserved ovation.”

Volpe has performed with some of the most celebrated conductors of his time, including James Levine, Seiji Ozawa, Valery Gergiev, Sir John Pritchard, Maurizio Arena, Marco Armilliato, Marcello Viotti, Jacques Lacombe, Jonathan Darlington, Semyon Bychkov, Joseph Rescigno, Vincent La Selva, Richard Buckley, Leon Botstein, and Richard Hickox, among others.

Mr. Volpe made his memorable Metropolitan Opera debut in the company’s new production of Prokofiev’s War and Peace, and subsequently returned for 13 seasons with the company for new productions of Berlioz’ Les Troyens, Strauss’ Salome, Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov, as well as Falstaff, Gianni Schicchi, Roméo et Juliette, Aïda, I vespri siciliani, Cyrano de Bergerac, Andrea Chenier, and Carmen, and most recently as Idraote in Armida, Angelotti in Tosca, and Dr. Grenvil in La traviata.