WT Opera Students to Perform in Manhattan Opera Studio Summer Festival

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

WT Opera Students to Perform in Manhattan Opera Studio Summer Festival

CANYON, Texas — Singers in the West Texas A&M University Opera program will perform in New York City over the summer.

The program’s director, Sarah Beckham-Turner, will helm Manhattan Opera Studio’s production of “Hänsel und Gretel,” and three students and one alumnus will sing during MOS’s Summer Festival.

The intensive runs June 20 to July 19. The WT students are among young performers from around the world who auditioned for and were accepted into the program.

While in New York, the students also will sing arias in a July 13 concert at Lincoln Center and in a July 6 and 7 concert staging of “The Magic Flute” at the National Opera Center. “Hänsel,” a 19th-century opera by Engelbert Humperdinck, will be staged July 18 and 19, also in the National Opera Center.

“This is the second time for WT students to take part in the Summer Festival, during which they work with world-class artists in masterclasses and in productions,” Beckham-Turner said. “This is a huge opportunity for them to get real-world experience and prepare themselves for life after college.

Participating students include Erin Hinds, a senior music major from Amarillo; Abigail Hite, a senior music major from Nashville; and Brooklynn King, a senior music major from Pearland. Also participating is R.J. Flud, a 2023 graduate from Midland who will begin pursuing his master’s in music at WT in the fall.

“I get to fulfill a lifelong dream of performing in New York earlier than I ever thought I would,” King said.

“This will be a taste of what it will be like to do this professionally—a trial run,” Hite said.

Beckham-Turner and five students participated in the 2023 intensive.

MOS is the first intensive opera studio young artist program in New York City. Led by Music Director Benoit Renard, MOS includes a faculty of some of the most renowned opera professionals in the country. Many MOS alumni have transitioned to professional careers, performing on the stages of the world’s most prestigious opera houses.

Beckham-Turner, an Amarillo native and soprano, has earned praise from the New York Times, Opera News, Wall Street Journal, and The Observer for her performances. Recently, Beckham-Turner sang in the world premiere of “Letters That You Will Not Get” with the American Opera Projects in New York City and as Hänsel in Amarillo Opera’s production of “Hänsel und Gretel.” She also tours with the Opera Cowgirls.

As a director, she has directed and produced productions such as “The Magic Flute,” “Postcard from Morocco” and “Our Town.”

Fostering an appreciation of the arts and preparing students to value hard work are key components of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised nearly $160 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 59 undergraduate degree programs and more than 40 graduate degrees, including two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

Photo: WT Opera director Sarah Beckham-Turner, from left, rehearses students Abigail Hite, Brooklynn King and Erin Hinds. The four are part of a contingent of WT Opera representatives taking part in the Manhattan Opera Studio's Summer Festival.

—WT—