Reaching Beyond The High Notes

Valerie Vinzant in Chabrier’s “L’Etoile”

Opera fans know they are in for a treat if a program contains arias from Massenet’s "Manon," Handel’s "Giulio Cesare" and Donizetti’s "Linda di Chamounix." And that is what soprano Valerie Vinzant (’06) delivered last spring when she sang these selections before renowned judges and a packed house at the Dallas Opera Guild Competition.

Vinzant, who won first place, also claimed first at the district level and third at the regional level at the 2007 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions earlier this year.

Since earning her Bachelor’s of music in voice at SMU, Vinzant is honing her craft and working toward a Master’s from Indiana University in Bloomington. Studying under noted soprano Carol Vaness, Vinzant takes music lessons, language study, history classes and vocal pedagogy. She is part of a 17th-century music group that rehearses three times a week. And when she is cast in an opera production, add evening rehearsals to the slate.

A native of Spring, Texas, Vinzant describes her high coloratura voice as best suited for younger characters, usually comedic roles. At Indiana last year she played a fairy godmother in the comedy "Too Many Sopranos."

Originally a musical theater student at New York University, Vinzant returned closer to home to focus on voice study, inspired by meeting celebrated soprano and SMU alumna Laura Claycomb (’90). Vinzant received a scholarship from Meadows School of the Arts, where she found a rich opera program and worked with graduate students and voice coach Hank Hammett.

"Coaching helps refine acting and language and your total performance," Vinzant says. "Not every school has this, and I feel it set me apart."

While at SMU, she was cast as a lead soprano in "Three Penny Opera." Voice professor Virginia Dupuy says that in Vinzant’s junior year, "she began to show a special professionalism, vocal beauty and mastery of vocal technique. She wasn’t distracted by criticism, competition, jealousy or peer pressure. We encouraged her to take auditions."

Her instructors’ high expectations helped foster discipline for less glamorous but crucial career preparations, Vinzant says. "I picked up from the SMU opera director that I needed to set goals for myself," such as a solid foundation in at least four languages.

In the realm of opera singers, Vinzant describes herself as a "tiny child" and says her voice will not be ready for more mature, dramatic pieces until she’s at least 30. "I have my eye on the heroine roles in "La Traviata" or "Lucia di Lammermoor," which I’ll be ready for in about 10 years. Meanwhile, I’m open to whatever is dealt to me."