Coming to us from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Lauren Manna.
Lauren Manna is a musical theatre student from Minneapolis, MN. She studies voice with [my Speakeasy Cooperative colleague] Jerry Elsbernd, with whom she has won the State and North Central Regional NATS, and is currently a National Quarterfinalist. She also is an NSDA speech student, and will make her second NSDA nationals appearance this June. Some of her favorite roles she has played include Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, and Rusty in Footloose! Theatre is a huge part of Lauren’s life, and she is so excited to continue her musical theatre education at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee this fall.
Our second student panelist is Iyana Johnson of Annapolis, Maryland.
Iyana Johnson will be an incoming freshman at Baldwin Wallace Conservatory, studying vocal performance and music production. She identifies as a mezzo soprano (but her teacher, my MDDC colleague Alyssa Amber Cox, calls her a “baby contralto”) and she has been studying music “classically” for the last 5 years. Iyana has a particular interest in exploring spirituals and African American song, which she hopes to focus on in her studies at B-W.
Our final student panelist is Olive DeVille of Towson, Maryland.
Olive DeVille recently graduated from Carver Center for Arts and Technology, where she was a Vocal Music student. Over the past 4 years she enjoyed performing in local community theatre, performing in shows such as Man of La Mancha (Antonia), Newsies, The Music Man, Hello Dolly!, and studying voice and dance. In the fall, she will be attending Long Island University as a BFA Musical Theatre student. Olive is a student of Christine Thomas-O’Meally at Mezzoid Voice Studio (why, that’s ME!)
These three young singers went through the audition process this year, which was entirely virtual! Hear what they have to say about the experience, what they might do differently if they could, and what they’re looking forward to as they take the next step in their musical and educational journey!
***** To reserve your spot for the June 30 panel discussion, What To Know and What I Wish I Had Known About College Auditions, register HERE.
It’d be a great birthday present for me.
And since June is birthday month,
I’ll accept presents up through June 30.
Just sayin’
Christine Thomas-O'Meally, a mezzo soprano and voice teacher currently based in the Baltimore-DC area, has performed everything from the motets of J.S. Bach to the melodies of Irving Berlin to the minimalism of Philip Glass.
As an opera singer and actress, she has appeared with companies such as Charm City Players, Spotlighters Theatre, Chicago Opera Theater, Opera Theater of Northern Virginia, Opera North, the Washington Savoyards, In Tandem Theatre, Windfall Theater, The Young Victorian Theater of Baltimore, and Skylight Opera Theatre. She created the role of The Woman in Red in Dominick Argento’s Dream of Valentino in its world premiere with the Washington Opera and Mary Pickersgill in O'er the Ramparts at its world premiere during the Bicentennial of Battle of Baltimore at the Community College of Baltimore County. Other roles include Mrs. Paroo in Music Man, Mother Abbess in Sound of Music, Dorabella in Cosi Fan Tutte, Marcellina in Le Nozze di Figaro, both Hansel and the Witch in Hansel & Gretel, and many roles in Gilbert & Sullivan operettas. Her performance as the Housekeeper in Man of La Mancha was honored with a WATCH award nomination.
Ms. Thomas-O'Meally received an M.M. in vocal performance from the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. She regularly attends master classes and workshops in both performance and vocal pedagogy, and is certified in all three Levels of Somatic Voicework™ The LoVetri Method. Her students have performed on national and international tours of Broadway productions, at prestigious conservatories, and in regional theater throughout the country.
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Olive DeVille recently graduated from Carver Center for Arts and Technology, where she was a Vocal Music student. Over the past 4 years she enjoyed performing in local community theatre, performing in shows such as Man of La Mancha (Antonia), Newsies, The Music Man, Hello Dolly!, and studying voice and dance. In the fall, she will be attending Long Island University as a BFA Musical Theatre student. Olive is a student of Christine Thomas-O’Meally at Mezzoid Voice Studio (why, that’s ME!)