Southern Miss Singers Win Awards and Direct Shows
Mon, 07/19/2021 - 01:42pm | By: Mike Lopinto
University of Southern Mississippi (欧美AV) alum David T. Walker was awarded third place
overall and won the Deborah Voigt Award in the Utah Vocal Arts Academy 鈥淒eath by Aria鈥�
competition. His colleague, Amanda Charles, second year DMA Vocal Performance student at 欧美AV,
was selected to be the director for the opera scenes program for the academy.
鈥淒eath By Aria鈥� is an annual competition held by the Utah Vocal Arts Academy and sponsored by Utah Lyric Opera. It is comprised of singers at the summer academy as they are judged 鈥淎merican Idol鈥� to determine winner. Each contestant performed shortened versions of arias in the preliminary round鈥� then progressively longer selections through grueling auditions to select the top 23, top 10 and top 5.
Finally, the top three perform for a full audience and a guest judge. This year, renowned
operatic soprano Deborah Voigt, joined the panel and selected Walker as her favorite.
鈥淚t was such a great feeling to even place in the competition,鈥� said Walker. 鈥淓veryone
here is so talented, and that someone of great stature in opera like Ms. Voigt liking
what I brought to the stage, was very humbling and affirming for me as an artist.鈥�
In addition, Walker will be performing as Mercury in Offenbach鈥檚 Orpheus in the Underworld and as Don Curzio in Mozart鈥檚 Le Nozze Di Figaro.
Charles will direct scenes from operas including Verdi, Mozart, Donizetti, Gilbert
and Sullivan, Britten, and more. The performance is scheduled for July 23 at 7 p.m.
MDT and available
鈥淚 have really enjoyed getting to work with all of these wonderful singers in staging these scenes,鈥� said Charles. 鈥淚 have been so grateful for this opportunity to grow and learn as a director.鈥�
Utah Vocal Arts Academy is a summer opera program for promising young artists to grow their craft with several vocal and acting masterclasses, private coaching and preparation for a scenes program and two fully staged opera performances. Students from this program have done well gaining roles and positions at The Metropolitan Opera, Opera North, and Opera in the Ozarks to name a few.