Director of Opera and Associate Professor Ella Marchment, B.M., and MiKayla Lynn Hatfield ’22 (Master of Music in Performance – Voice) traveled to Little Rock, Arkansas, to celebrate the season launch at Opera in the Rock – the season will focus on Black performers and composers. Hatfield performed three songs during the “Let’s Talk Opera” event and participated in the discussion.
Marchment was also announced as the new artistic director of Opera in the Rock and is working to form a unique partnership with Shenandoah Conservatory.
“We are building this partnership to involve Shenandoah University students in productions and administration, enabling them to earn real professional credits,” said Marchment. “MiKayla is one example of the future of this partnership. She was cast as Serena in ‘Porgy & Bess’ as part of the upcoming season and it’s her first professional opera engagement post-graduation.”
Marchment and Hatfield were also featured on “The Vine,” Channel 11’s (Little Rock) morning show. They were joined by host Ashley King, the Metropolitan Opera’s Chief Diversity Officer Marcia Sells and Opera in the Rock’s Chief Executive Officer Fred Owens.
