UA Opera Theatre Students Take National Awards
January 20, 2011 - Filed under: Awards & Honors, Events, Faculty & Staff, Students | Tagged: College of Arts & Sciences, School of Music
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama Opera Theatre won second and third place in the 2011 Collegiate Opera Scenes Competition at the annual convention of the National Opera Association on Jan. 6.
This is the second year in a row, and the second time in the history of the program, that UA has made it to the finals of this national competition.
Paul Houghtaling, director of UA Opera Theatre, and eight students traveled to San Antonio, Texas, and performed scenes from Puccini’s “La Bohème” and Verdi’s “Rigoletto” in the finals.
“The students who performed in San Antonio were excited not only to place in the finals, but to sense that they are now a part of a growing national reputation for The University of Alabama as a place to study opera and train for careers on the stage,” Houghtaling said.
“They heard comments such as ‘Wow, you guys look great and sound great … I want to come to Alabama’ which made them proud and made all of us even more excited about the future of our opera program. That type of national exposure is incredible,” he noted.
Student winners and their hometowns include:
Brad Baker, piano, Henderson, Texas
Bryant Bush, bass, Mobile
Lauren Carlton, mezzo-soprano, Huntsville
Kasey Fuller, soprano, Orlando, Fla.
Perry Davis Harper, tenor, Paragould, Alaska
Marcus Miller, baritone, Nashville, Tenn.
Andrew Nalley, baritone, Huntsville
Dawn Neely, soprano, Huntsville
In March, the UA Opera Theatre will present the world premiere of “The Raven’s Revenge,” a new one-act opera by Amir Zaheri. For more information visit http://music.ua.edu/departments/opera.
UA’s College of Arts and Sciences is the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and memberships on the USA Today Academic All American Team.
The University of Alabama, a student-centered research university, is experiencing significant growth in both enrollment and academic quality. This growth, which is positively impacting the campus and the state's economy, is in keeping with UA's vision to be the university of choice for the best and brightest students. UA, the state's flagship university, is an academic community united in its commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all Alabamians.
CONTACT: Katie Breaseale or Linda Hill, UA Media Relations, 205/348-8325 or lhill@ur.ua.edu
SOURCE: Paul Houghtaling, UA Opera Theatre, 205/348-3396, 646/345-5584 or phoughtaling@music.ua.edu