Soprano sings above the rest

Aspiring classical singer Emily Bennett chose MU's School of Music over some of the nation's largest music programs. Fast forward to her senior year: Bennett was competing for a national title against students from those same schools

The comic opera Too Many Sopranos popped into Emily Bennett's mind when she learned who her competitors would be at the finals of the Young Artist Voice competition - five sopranos and a baritone.

"There's an abundance of us," Bennett, a lyric soprano, says, which makes the male voice especially attractive. And when that baritone sang his superb, mature program in the finals of arguably the nation's most prestigious collegiate vocal competition, she said to herself: "He just won."

By tradition, the contest judges call all seven finalists to the stage with their teachers for announcement of the winners, from third place to first. As the crowd applauded the baritone, who had won second place, Associate Professor Ann Harrell knew that MU's soprano had taken the top spot, including a $3,000 cash prize.

Just making the national competition, which is directed by the Music Teachers National Association, becomes a grueling test of talent and training. Bennett worked for months to memorize a program of nine arias and art songs in four languages. She earned entry to the March 31 finals in Denver by winning the first two stages - the Missouri state competition and a multistate regional contest.

Stomach butterflies and elevated blood pressure affect a student's psyche during such important competitions. "Nationals are intimidating," Bennett says.

To become acquainted with the other finalists, she searched online for information about them, and that's when she discovered some of the singers represented schools that had passed her by for an admission audition.

"Now I was competing against their best students," she says.

In Denver the day of the competition, three judges sat just a few feet in front of Bennett when she began her performance. For 30 minutes she sang in Italian, French, German and English while trying not to look at them. A French aria by Jules Massenet would present her biggest challenge. The piece, Obéissons quand leur voix appelle, contains a sustained high "D" that tests a singer's stamina even when her nerves aren't tuned as tight as a piano string.

Bennett becomes an actress when she sings. Her large green eyes evoke emotion as she uses facial expressions and hand gestures to convey a mood and create a character. But ultimately, it's the sound that matters. What makes Bennett's voice so beautiful is its balance between bright and dark. Harrell describes the sound as ringing with warmth and beauty from top notes to bottom notes.

Musicians sometimes transcend themselves in a performance, and that's what Bennett and her pianist, Rachel AuBuchon, MM '06, accomplished at nationals. "Their performance was remarkable," Harrell says. "Emily was on. She just sang beautifully, and Rachel did things at the keyboard that I've not heard her do before."

Bennett is the third MU student since 2000 to win the Young Artist voice competition. In addition to Bennett, Harrell coached tenor Neal Boyd, who won in 2000. Associate Professor Jo Ella Todd coached the 2002 winner, baritone Kory Bickel.

"We do well here in the middle of the country," Harrell says. "We have really talented students who come to Missouri and work hard. I think the faculty are very caring, nurturing teachers, so there's an atmosphere conducive to learning and improvement."

Training a classical singer is a careful, gradual process that requires dedication from both student and teacher. Harrell remembers hearing Bennett's scholarship audition for MU and recognizing that she was exceptionally gifted with a pretty voice.

A nice voice, however, is just the beginning. Harrell suggests that her students work with her for five years to reach vocal maturity. At first, Bennett resisted the fifth year; she wanted to graduate in four years to get on with her life. Eventually she relented: "Ms. Harrell was right, as she always is. Obviously, it was a good idea."

After graduation in May 2008, Bennett will begin work on an advanced degree at Florida State University, and it's tuition-free.

Links:

School of Music

Music Teachers National Association


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