We all know and love Zoe Hein. Am I biased because she is my boss? Probably. But, let me tell you: As someone who hears her voice almost every Wednesday at 7 PM all semester, I was not expecting that. I was previously aware that singing was a thing she could do, but was absolutely blown away. This wasn’t like singing in the shower and praying your neighbors can’t hear, it was the voice of an angel. That angel being Zoe Hein, patron saint of printed newspapers and amazing fashion sense. But I suppose you want an actual review instead of my blathering. Hein sang a total of 8 songs from a variety of artists and sources – everything from Schubert to a piece from Gilbert and Sullivan’s famous comic opera The Pirates of Penzance (or The Slave of Duty). As always, I will pick my favorites, tell you about their history, and then unabashedly praise the singer herself. 

Hein began with two arrangements of  “Ave Maria”. One as arranged by Franz Schubert and the other as crafted by Margaret Bonds. Originally called “Ellens dritter Gesang” (“Ellen’s Third Song”), was derived from a section of Sir Walter Scott’s poem The Lady of the Lake. The tune, which originally held no religious significance, has since been adopted into the Roman Catholic prayer of the same name (Brittanica). The song is generally considered difficult to master due to the difference in language and need for a high, more resonant tone of voice. My favorites of the evening were songs I knew to be very vocally difficult, including “Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again” from Phantom of the Opera and “The Winner Takes it All” from Mamma Mia. By Andrew Lloyd Webber, Benny Andersson, and Bjorn Ulvaeus respectively. Well…I cried. And I’m not embarrassed to admit it. 

My favorite was “Poor Wand’ring One” from The Pirates of Penzance. The opera itself, occasionally referred to as a musical (it is NOT a musical, dear reader), is one of the fastest-moving funny operas of its time. Gilbert and Sullivan created a classic comedy that now boasts one of the most infamous patter songs in history – “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General”. Hein’s performance showed that while she may not have information animal, vegetable, and mineral, she knows quite a lot about captivating an audience of adoring friends. 

Live laugh love Zoe Hein.