UA Opera Theatre Students Take National Awards

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.