FARMINGTON — The Nordica Homestead Museum, 116 Nordica Lane [off the Holley Road] is open for the season by appointment. A concert performed by this year’s Nordica scholarship winners will be held Aug. 17 at 7 p.m.

The concert will be held at the Nordica Auditorium located in Merrill Hall, part of the University of Maine at Farmington campus on the corner of Main and Academy streets. The concert is free to the public but donations are welcome.

Lillian Nordica was a famed singer from Farmington who as a child lived where the museum is today.

According to an article in The Franklin Journal last year, Nordica’s life reads like an opera, she was the world’s first superstar.

Nordica scholarship recipient Chana Freedberg of Bangor will be performing at a concert 7 p.m. Aug. 17 at Nordica Auditorium in Merrill Hall in Farmington. Submitted photo

This year’s Nordica scholarship winners are Chana Freedberg from Bangor and Jared Vigue from Waterboro. They will be accompanied by Scott Wheatley.

Freedberg is a fourth year student studying vocal performance at University of Maine where she performs in numerous ensembles. She is the soprano section leader for the University Singers, the university’s premier auditioned choir. She is also music director for UMaine Renaissance, an all-treble a cappella group.

Freedberg has performed various roles in the school’s Opera Workshop program over the last four years, participating every semester. Most recently she performed the principle role of the plaintiff in Gilbert and Sullivan’s Trial by Jury.

This past spring Freedberg performed her senior recital. Next year she will be finishing up her undergraduate work and auditioning for graduate school where she hopes to pursue a master’s degree in vocal performance.

Nordica scholarship recipient Jared Vigue of Waterboro will be performing at a concert 7 p.m. Aug. 17 at Nordica Auditorium in Merrill Hall in Farmington. Submitted photo

Vigue is a junior classical voice performance major at the Osher School of Music [OSOM] at the University of Southern Maine [USM]. He studies with Professor Scott Wheatley and Professor Mary Letellier. He has appeared in several roles in opera workshops, including Nemorino in L’Elisir d’amore, Candide in Bernstein’s Candide, and Romeo in Gounod’s Romeo et Juliet. He was also in the chorus in Opera Maine’s Le nozze di Figaro, and sang in Opera Maine’s Young Artist Masterclass with Ron Rains.

Last fall Vigue had coaching sessions with mezzo-soprano Megan Marino and sang as a soloist at the 2023 OSOM Gala. He was awarded first place in Division VI at the 2024 NATS singing competition, also winning the Nordica Scholarship Award for most promising future in singing. This fall he will be performing the role of Rinuccio in OSOM’s production of Gianni Schicchi by Giacomo Puccini.

A baritone and Kansas native, Wheatley holds degrees from University of Missouri/Kansas City Conservatory of Music and University of South Florida. He has performed with the Kansas City Lyric Opera and numerous other operas and music groups throughout the United States.

Currently a voice instructor and collaborative pianist at USM, Wheatley serves as assistant music director of Classical Uprising. He also collaborates as a coach/accompanist for singers and instrumentalists.

For more information about Nordica Homestead Museum or to arrange a tour call 207-778-2042 or email lilliannordica@gmail.com.