MONROE — A special performance at Monroe Arts Center this Sunday will bring two sisters — accomplished musicians — together for the first time. One is an established opera singer, and the other a budding performance artist in her own right.

On June 2, Lilly Cherney’s Senior Voice Recital will be held at the Monroe Arts Center. The hour-long event will feature a mix of classical music, musical theater, and include special guests. Among the guests is Lilly’s older sister, Nicole Heinen, a soprano singer that has been performing in operas across the country for more than a decade.

“There’s been a lot of hard work put in, and now I get to showcase everything I’ve been doing,” Lilly said. “It’s very exciting.”

Joining Lilly on stage for a duet will be Nicole, which will be accompanied by the voice teacher from Madison they both shared. It is the first time the two will perform in public together, according to their mother, Becky Cherney.

Nicole, now in her 30s, said she chose the song “I Will Never Leave You” from the Broadway production “Side Show,” which Nicole recently performed on stage.

She said it’s about two sisters that have been best friends but there is seemingly always something getting in the way between them. In the end, the sisters in the story re-cement to each other their bond as friends and sisters.

“I will always be there for her,” Nicole said of Lilly.

From Monroe to the Opera spotlight

“It hasn’t been easy,” Nicole said. “It’s never easy for any performer.”

Nicole’s journey from small-town Midwestern girl to the role of being under a literal spotlight took a lot of persistence, love of music, and learning to accept the word “no.”

“There were a lot of rejections. We were told in school that to set yourself up to hear the word ‘no,’” she said. 

Nicole earned a Bachelors in Music Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York and a Masters in Music from UW-Madison. She also studied at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan.

Nicole has performed with the Chautauqua (NY) Opera Company, New Orleans Opera, and most recently was a soprano studio artist with the Pensacola (Florida) Opera.

She lives in New Orleans with her husband Alex Mayon, who himself is an established classical musician and is the current Principal Trumpet at the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO). Nicole said it’s nice to be with someone who understands the struggle for classical musicians.

“We’ve both found rejections and have struggled in auditions. But we’ve both been there for each other, supported each other, and also celebrated those big accomplishments we’ve had,” Nicole said. 

They’ve even worked together before, as the LPO plays the music for the New Orleans Opera. 

“I know everyone in the orchestra really well,” Nicole said.

Nicole said she got into classical music in middle school. She had been taking voice lessons and practicing pop music. But she was at the library one day after school, and, while perusing through the CDs on the shelf, she landed on a Joan Sutherland (1926-2010) opera.

“I thought it looked interesting. When I listened to it, I immediately loved it,” Nicole said. She went to her voice teacher at the time, who said the classical music and opera genres fit her voice better than pop music — so they shifted the focus of the lessons. “My love and thirst for learning, I get that from my mom and grandma.”

For the next decade she studied and practiced classical music. When she completed her Masters, she understood the struggle was only just beginning.

“After school, you are on your own. It is up to you to coordinate your voice lessons, language interpretations and auditions. The school doesn’t set that up for you anymore, you do it yourself,” Nicole said.

Not only do they have to continue voice lessons and continue scheduling them, they are on the hook for all of the costs, which also includes travel and applications.

“I was working three, four, five jobs to pay the bills,” Nicole said. After years of grueling work not just getting her foot in the door, but establishing herself on the scene, she has entered the “sweet spot,” where productions now come to her for her voice, instead of vice-versa.

“At the end of the day, I am really glad that I do what I do,” Nicole said.

She said public perception of the opera is often that of a genre only for rich, coastal elites. She said that she hopes she can bridge that gap.

“People love the fact that I am so welcoming and open,” Nicole said of her Midwest roots. “I attribute that to where I was raised, both Monroe by itself and Wisconsin as a state. I’m really proud of where I grew up and the people I grew up with. Being raised in the Midwest has been wonderful to me.”

She also said that hopefully she can inspire some young dreamers along the way. One of those is her younger sister, Lilly, who was born right as Nicole was about to head off to college and begin her journey.

“My mom always told me how Lilly would want her to put my music on in the car,” Nicole said. “It’s really cool to have a little sister that loves what you do. It feels rewarding knowing that I am somewhat responsible for her going into the arts. It makes me happy; and proud.”

Lilly said Nicole “inspires” her.

“She’s a go-getter. She has a dream. She makes it a reality, and showed me that it’s possible,” Lilly said.

To learn more or to contact Nicole Heinen, go to nicoleheinensoprano.com.

A journey of her own 

While Lilly is following her sister’s path to the stage and spotlight by studying the arts in college, she’s not exactly following in Nicole’s direct footsteps.

Lilly’s skill-set lies not just in her voice, but her overall acting chops. After all, she’s a Jerry Award winner — an honor bestowed upon the best Wisconsin high school theatrical students. 

The story of how she fell in love with the performing arts is a bit of an unorthodox one, Lilly admits. While she learned piano at a young age and went to see her sister perform in various operas and shows, she herself wasn’t very invested in following a similar career.

After she spent a year living in Florida, Lilly, with her mother and father, Becky and Romy Cherney, returned to Wisconsin in middle school. In early 2020 before the pandemic hit, she joined some of her friends and tried out for middle school’s musical adaptation of Disney’s “Frozen.” She landed the lead role of Elsa. Every day after school for the next month and a half, Lilly and her cast-mates rehearsed.

On the night of the first performance, Lilly said her parents were visibly in awe.

“They were like, ‘you can sing?’” Lilly said. “It went so well and I felt so good. It lit off a spark I didn’t know was there.”

She jumped right into voice lessons and started developing her acting chops. She also continued to do well in school, finishing Monroe High School last weekend as a Distinguished Honors Graduate (maintained 4.0 GPA) and a member of the National Honor Society. Not only was she known for her renditions of the national anthem — including being sung at the WIAA Division 3 state championship in Camp Randall — she gave the welcoming speech at her graduation last weekend. She will join the Jerry Ensemble again this year.

“It’s a really beautiful experience, working with kids with the same ambitions as me. It’s refreshing, too, to work with all of that energy,” Lilly said.

Award winners for a program at Overture Hall in Madison on June 9. Two of the winners will be selected for the national Jimmy Awards, hosted in New York City June 24.

Cherney earned a Jerry Award for Outstanding Lead Performer as Morticia Addams in the year’s MHS production of The Addams Family. Classmate Hayden Jackson (Wednesday Addams) was also an Outstanding Lead Performer Jerry Award winner. Other MHS Jerry Award winners this year were Hudson Davis (Spirit Award), Brenda Davis and (Outstanding Scenic Design) and Jenny Bochar (Outstanding Costume Design, Outstanding Scenic Design).

In all, there were 111 productions from around the state recognized from over 100 schools and community theaters. There were 65 reviewers, with three attending each production. In all, there are 300 awards that will be presented. Tickets to watch the Jerry Awards either in person or by livestream are available at overture.org.

Lilly will be attending Oklahoma City University’s Wanda L. Bass School of Music this fall. She said when she visited it, she fell in love with the school right away.

“I knew it, and my mom knew it, too,” Lilly said.

Nicole said that she never gives unsolicited advice to her younger sister — but that she is there to help her sister out with whatever advice or information she can when asked.

“If she wants my help, I will help. I’ll also let her figure it out when she wants,” Nicole said. “She’s hungry.”

Awards and upcoming shows

Following the June 2 senior recital, Lilly will perform with the Jerry Ensemble June 9 at the Overture Center in downtown Madison. 

Meanwhile, Nicole will perform on June 13 in Pensacola, Florida, singing cabaret songs, show tunes and standards with opera conductor Cody Martin on the piano.

Her 2025 schedule is already shaping up to be a busy one. Beginning in January, she is taking on the role of Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro with the Pensacola Opera. She’ll also be returning to the New Orleans Opera in April 2025 to sing Giannetta and cover Adina in their production of L’elisir d’amore.