This was my last week with the Washington National Opera Institute for young singers and I must say it was just fabulous! The last week with the Opera Institute began on Sunday, for me and three other students. On Friday July 2nd Cindy Oxberry and Christiane DeVries Boles pulled three students and myself into a room to ask us to perform at a VIP 4th of July celebration at the U.S Government Printing Office building in Washington DC. We were told to sing the “Star Spangled Banner” and “America The Beautiful”. Lamar and Cindy Oxberry are pictured below.
Our performance on Sunday was wonderful! Our feedback from the audience there was all positive and it was a chance for me to network even more. I met a couple of very important people including GPO’s very own Bob Tapella. We were invited to view the fireworks on the rooftop, which overlooked the Capitol Building and the Washington Monument. It was most definitely a rewarding experience for me and the other Opera Institute students.
From the left: Jonah Hopton-tenor, Morgan Middleton-mezzo/soprano, Lamar Gaskins-baritone, Hannah Hagerty-soprano
On Monday Washington National Operas very own Aundi Marie Moore visited the opera institute to give a masterclass. I found her to be one of my favorites along with Angela Mannino. We started off week 3 with a period movement class which included yoga, and we also learned various breathing techniques. On Tuesday we had an opportunity to travel to Wolf Trap to watch Wolf Trap Operas production of “Il Turco in Italia/ The Turk in Italy”, where my previous masterclass instructor, Angela Mannino played the role of Fiorilla. The opera was fabulous! During intermission we stumbled upon Evelyn Lear who is a very famous mezzo-soprano in the opera world! It was an honor having the chance to meet such an inspirational and successful artist. On Wednesday, we had another busy schedule, which included another masterclass which was given by Sarah Hoover. That Friday we had a workshop which was directed by Washington National Operas very own Christina Scheppelman, Director of Artistic Operations. The workshop was titled “The Professional World Workshop” and at the end we had an hour-long Q&A session which was amazing! Later that evening we had our Opera Scenes Recital which was held at American University, Katzen Arts Center in Washington DC. My opera scene was the duet between Guglielmo and Dorabella, “Il core vi dono,” from Mozart's, Cosi fan tutte. It was an overall successful recital and everyone was pleased!
This picture shows a few of Washington National Opera Institute students with Evelyn Lear.
We ended our last day at the Opera Institute with a grand finale recital which was held at the John F. Kennedy Center for The Performing Arts in Washington DC on July 11th. Our ending selection was the 'drinking song' or "Libiamo" from Verdi’s La Traviata. It was a perfect way to end the day!
The Washington National Opera Institute for young singers has truly changed my mindset as a young singer. I have been trained by the finest instructors at the Institute and I am better prepared for what college has to offer me. I have learned that I can accomplish so much within three weeks! But most importantly I have had so much fun doing it all! It has been a rough ride but its all been worth it! I highly recommend this program to any fellow young singers who are interested in pursuing a career in Opera.
From left to right: Hannah Hagerty-soprano, Lamar Gaskins-baritone, Kanysha Williams-soprano
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