Update: Nine WT Opera Students Named National Finalists

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

CANYON, Texas — Several West Texas A&M University Opera students will compete in January in a national competition named for the former director of the WT School of Music.

Two students will compete in the graduate contest and seven will compete in the music theatre classification Jan. 8 at the National Opera Association’s Robert Hansen Collegiate Opera Scenes Competition in Boston.

Abigail Hite, a graduate student in music performance from Killeen, and Kyler Hilton, a senior music major from Canyon, will perform the Nedda and Silvio duet from Rugerro Leoncavallo’s “I Pagliacci.”

Performing “I Heard Someone Crying” from the musical “The Secret Garden” will be Ace Bolin, a junior musical theatre major from Pittsburg; Anya Brown, a freshman music performance major from Quinlan; Cadence Brown, a sophomore music education major from Canyon; Sarah Estes, a senior music performance major from Turpin, Oklahoma; Kelton Harbison, a senior music education major from Canyon; C.J. Hernandez, a freshman music education major from Amarillo; and Elliott Lewis, a junior music education major from College Station.

Both works were first performed at WT Opera’s “One-Ounce Operas” on Oct. 9. Videos of the performance were entered into the competition. Hite and Hilton were notified last month, and the “Secret Garden” ensemble, originally selected as an alternate, was elevated to the finals within the last week.

“We have two of the best scenes in the country, and that’s huge,” said Dr. Sarah Beckham-Turner, assistant professor of voice in the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities. “The last time I took students to NOA, it was so rewarding for them to take part and make connections, so I’m excited that these will have the same opportunity.”

“We get to show off what we do here at a smaller university,” Hilton said. “And we’re also representing Dr. Hansen, which is amazing.”

The contest, which was founded in 2009, was named for Hansen in honor of his 25 years of service as NOA’s executive director. WT Opera last advanced to the NOA finals in 2023.

Hansen, who was Regents Professor of Music, retired in 2024 as director of the School of Music.

Fostering an appreciation of the arts is a key component 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 has raised more than $175 million and will continue through 2025.

About West Texas A&M University

A Regional Research University, West Texas A&M University is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. A Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, WT boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. WT recently earned a Carnegie Foundation classification as a Research College and University. The University also is 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 16 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

Photo: Abigail Hite, a graduate student in music performance from Killeen, and Kyler Hilton, a senior music major from Canyon, will compete Jan. 8 at the National Opera Association’s Robert Hansen Collegiate Opera Scenes Competition in Boston.

—WT—