Atlanta Opera High School Opera Institute Students to Perform in Annual Spring Concert, 6/10

On Sunday, June 10 at 4 p.m. at the Morningside Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, graduates from the Atlanta Opera's High School Opera Institute will be showcasing their work in a performance featuring arias and small ensemble pieces from some of opera's greatest works. This concert is free and open to the public.

The High School Opera Institute (HSOI) is a training program for students, grades 10-12, who are interested in pursuing a career in music. Participants in this eight-month program attend monthly workshops and vocal coachings on topics that include: preparing and auditioning for a role; selecting a music school; characterization; diction; and vocal technique. These workshops are taught by leading professionals in the opera field: Atlanta Opera Chorus Master Walter Huff, Stephanie Adrian, Laura English-Robinson, Michael Spassov, and Beverly Blouin. Students also are required to attend performances and rehearsals of Atlanta Opera mainstage productions. The High School Opera Institute is only one of few preparatory programs of its kind in the nation. 

In the three years this program has been offered, there have been eleven alumni who have gone on to study music at universities and conservatories around the country. This year, the program will graduate eight seniors, all of whom are planning to be music majors. The public will have an opportunity to hear five returning alumni at this performance: Kate Kasmier (Mercer University), Sammy Itskoff (Manhattan School of Music), Kaitlyn Johnson (Rice University), Becca White (Shorter University), and Jessica Kyles (Georgia State University) Other alumni currently attending music programs include: Mary Martha Clark (University of Georgia), Natalie Weinberg (Indiana University), Ella Radcliff (Boston University), Felicia Wilkins (Dartmouth College), Justin Van Scyoc (Columbus State University), and Emory Mulick (Florida State University).

Photo Credit: Tim Wilkerson