Irgens, Heidi I. (1960-) | University of Illinois Archives

Name: Irgens, Heidi I. (1960-)

Historical Note: Heidi I. Irgens was born in Urbana, Illinois. The daughter of Dr. Roar Irgens and Barbara Irgens (nee Southwell), Irgens grew up in Illinois, Minnesota, and primarily Missouri, following her father's career as a microbiologist. She learned piano from her father, who had studied to become a professional pianist and sung in choirs before earning his Ph.D. in microbiology in 1963. In 1974, the year the music division opened, Irgens was accepted as a violin and voice student at the National Academy of Music in Champaign, Illinois. Irgens was the only graduate of the National Academy of Music to complete all four years of high school at the Academy. After graduating in 1978, she first attended Missouri State University then transferred to the University of Maryland, where she received her bachelors of arts in voice. Following this, she earned a master's degree in musicology from the University of Iowa. She has since performed in several workshops including the Baroque Performance Institute (OH), the Ringve International Summer Academy (Trondheim, Norway), Brevard Music Center (NC), and the Historic Performance Academy (Montreal). Irgens currently teaches musicology at Texas Christian University.

Sources: Obituary for Roar Irgens: https://asm.org/obituaries/in-memoriam-irgens,-roar

Note Author: Nolan Vallier