Vocal performance seniors Kameron Lopreore and Marlee Jenson received encouragement awards from the Metropolitian Opera National Council’s Gulf Coast district auditions; and vocal graduate student Annie Halbert A’11 sang her way to the regional auditions. 

The competition is a program designed to discover promising young opera singers and assist in the development of their careers. Winners of the competition advance from the district auditions to the finalist competition; culminating in a public concert of the 10 finalists in New York accompanied by the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.

Judges for the auditions are from varied backgrounds in the opera world, such as directors of yung artist programs and the executive director of the Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions. All participants receive constructive feedback from each of the judges.

Competitors must put together a repertoire containing five contrasting arias. Roughly 1,500 compete at the district level auditions nationwide.

The New Orleans District, which contains Shreveport, New Orleans, and Mobile, Alabama sends nine competitors to the regional auditions. Eight moved on from the competition on Saturday.

Halbert competed in the Metropolitan Opera district auditions, ultimately advancing to the Gulf Coast regional auditions, where she received a Participation Award.

In 2011, Halbert received a Bachelor’s of Music in voice and catholic studies from Loyola University.

“It wasn’t until six months after I graduated that I realized ‘Oh, wait, I want to be opera singer,” Halbert said.

Halbert was working with the University Honors Program as an administrative assistant, when she realized she wanted to pursue a master’s degree.

“That’s one of the great benefits of working a place like Loyola; they care enough about their staff to give them an education,” Halbert said.

Currently in the second year of her graduate program at Loyola, Halbert has regularly performed with the New Orleans Opera Association under the vocal direction of the director of the Loyola Opera Theatre Carol Rausch.

“My experience at Loyola has totally shaped who I am as a singer. It is why I’m still singing, and why I want to do this for the rest of my life,” Halbert said.

Following the Metropolitan Opera competition, Halbert is looking to the future and her place in opera. In the meantime, she is enjoying her work with the Loyola University honors community.

Kameron Lopreore, vocal performance senior, made his opera debut in 2013, at age 21, in Benjamin Britten’s “Noye’s Fludde” in New Orleans. He has also previously sang with the Marigny Opera House.

Though he said his audition was early for his voice, Lopreore wemin to the audition with an open mind.

After four years of working closely with Loyola’s music faculty, he is preparing for life after college.As of now, Lopreore is looking at applications to graduate schools, like the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia or New England Conservatory.

“I don’t feel like I could have gotten the amount of experience I did at Loyola elsewhere,” Lopreore said. “The MET competition was just an opportunity to reinstate in myself these foundational beliefs that I am meant to sing. Loyola gave me all the right tools.”

Vocal performance senior Marlee Jensen also believes Loyola has provided her with a professional education.

She is “pleased” to have won the encouragement award from the judges, whom are all employed or were once employed by The Met.

“The main reason that a younger singer attends these auditions is to receive feedback from these judges,” Jensen said.

For Jensen, the judges’ feedback is invaluable. This critique “can change your repertoire, the way you present yourself as a performer, and they can point you in the direction of appropriate graduate programs,” she said.

Jensen credits high school voice coach and Broadway and television actress Diana Canova, as well as Loyola’s music program, for her success in music.

“Loyola has certainly prepared me for the professional music atmosphere. I feel confident in my musicianship skills,” Jensen said.

For Halbert, Lopreore and Jensen, this is just the beginning of their musical career. With the Metropolitian Opera auditions under their belt, they are eager for the future.  

Mack Guillory can be reached at [email protected]