School of Music voice majors participate in summer opera programs

Two junior voice majors from the School of Music participated in prestigious 2014 summer opera programs. Miguel Ochoa and Virginia Hesse were selected by competitive audition for these pre- professional activities for young singers.

Miguel sang the bass role of Sarastro from Mozart’s Die Zauberflote with the American Singers Opera Project Summer Workshop Program in Winston- Salem, NC. He also attended the 2013 program where he performed the role of Leporello in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. His two-week residency provided him with the opportunity to study and perform a major role and to study voice with Barbara Caprilli and to sing under conductor Scott Crowne.

Virginia Hesse, traveled to Graz, Austria to participate in the prestigious American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS) for six weeks. A participant in the Opera Studio Curriculum, she was selected to perform as a soloist with orchestra on three separate concerts. She studied voice with resident teacher Dr. Lori McCann and European operetta soprano Dorit Hanak. Her daily schedule included German classes, repertoire rehearsals, stage artistry classes, musical/ dramatic preparation and audition training.

Congratulations to these outstanding young UL Lafayette voice students!