Program Spotlights – All Articles

Learn how one singer shifted her goals in music education from teaching to spearheading the Lancaster Art Song Society. As the organization grew, more opportunities for singers of varying levels have become available. 

In this column, we spotlight amazing vocal programs and highlight how they're helping singers! This week's spotlight is the University of Memphis.

In this column, we spotlight amazing vocal programs and highlight how they're helping singers!

Finding the right program is a challenge for high school singers. In this article, New England Conservatory, Oklahoma City University, and Arizona State tell young singers how their programs work. 

Known for its history of manufacturing, sports teams, and being home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Ohio, the country’s 34th largest state, also offers an array of operatic experiences.

Sensorium Ex is a groundbreaking new opera by Paola Prestini that explores the intersection of AI, disability, and the arts, redefining what it means to have a voice. Premiering at the Common Senses Festival in Omaha in May 2025, the work features a predominantly disabled cast, including a nonverbal, non-ambulatory lead, and integrates cutting-edge AI tools to enhance creative expression for nonverbal individuals.

When I spoke with Jocelyn Hagen earlier this month, she was putting the final touches on an exciting new project.

Tell us about your newest project. 

It’s a Christmas oratorio called Rose Ever Blooming, which I’m writing with my husband, Tim Takach, for Voces8. Years ago, Tim found this amazing book of poetry by Patricia Monaghan that’s all about Mary. It really humanizes her in a very beautiful way, and we had this idea for a large work based on this poetry. We had been commissioned by Voces8 in the past and had a good working relationship with them, so we approached them, pitched the idea, and they said, “Yes! And if we do it, let’s record it right away!” So, it just sort of snowballed into this huge project. 

“I am big. It’s the pictures that got small” “And now, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up” and “I hate that word. It’s a return” are some of Norma’s most iconic declarations. And by Norma, I’m talking Desmond not Druid.

Norma Desmond, the beautifully delusional heroine of Sunset Boulevard, isn’t terribly unlike her druid priestess counterpart and namesake in so far as her infrequent, yet highly anticipated returns to the stage. Full-scale stagings of Bellini’s masterpiece Norma occur less frequently than Bohèmes and Magic Flutes, and they usually herald a new or returning torch bearer of the demanding role—for better or worse as history and critics sometimes snark.

Learn more about two summer programs—the Institute of Performing Arts International (IPAI) and the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival (HPAF).

There are many factors to consider when you are choosing a summer program. Take time to consider the following when making your decision.

The Franco-American Vocal Academy (FAVA) is a pillar of the summer programs for singers. Read on for more information about the approach William Lewis and Frédérique Added take with the young singers who attend.

Preparing to celebrate its 51st year, the Des Moines Metro Opera Frank R. Brownell III Apprentice Artist Program is one of the premiere summer apprentice programs for emerging opera singers. Read on to learn more about it.