Giles Simmer
DEARBORN — Cherry Hill Presbyterian Church will feature soprano Giles Simmer for the 2026 “Music at Cherry Hill” concert series at 4 p.m. May 31. The performance will include the one-woman operetta “Bon Appétit!,” based on the television cooking shows of master chef Julia Child.
Well known throughout the metropolitan Detroit area, Simmer is described as a “warm and fluent” soprano. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Music from Hillsdale College and a master’s degree in Vocal Performance at Western Michigan University. She has performed with Michigan Opera Theatre, the Detroit Symphony, Toledo Opera, Opera MODO, Opera Grand Rapids, Arbor Opera Theatre, and the Comic Opera Guild, among others.
“Bon Appétit!” is a 25-minute, one-act comic operetta, composed by American Lee Hoiby. It premiered in 1989 and features a singer performing the dialogue while actually cooking on stage in an intimate, cabaret-style setting.
The operetta recreates a television cooking show episode, following Child as she instructs the audience in preparing “Le Gâteau au Chocolat ‘Éminence Brune.’” The libretto is drawn directly from the dialogue in her PBS programs.
The second half of the 60-minute concert will feature a mix of classical art songs, popular tunes, and spirituals selected by Simmer.
“Nearly everyone around the world knows and loves Julia Child — her television shows, cookbooks, and the joy she brought to the culinary world,” said Charles Miller, the church’s director of music. “Hoiby captures her spirit in this engaging operetta, and Simmer performs the role with brilliance, conviction, and panache.”
The concert is open to the public. While tickets are not required, a suggested donation of $15 per person will be accepted at the door. Proceeds will support the church’s Austin pipe organ restoration project.
Cherry Hill Presbyterian Church is at 24110 Cherry Hill Road. Parking is available on site, and an accessible entrance is available on Drexel Street, west of the church sanctuary.
For more information, call 313-563-4800 or go to www.cherryhillchurch.org.