• From Baylor Bears to baritones: BU alumni in the world of opera

    Kiri Deonarine

    In the last few months, we’ve profiled more than 20 Baylor alumni musicians, from worship leaders and country singers to hip-hop artists and jazz bands. But there’s one group that merited its own post: Baylor alumni in the world of… opera. In researching this piece, it surprised me to learn just how many Bears have found successful careers in opera houses all over the world.

    Take David Pershall, BM ’07, for example. After graduating from Baylor, Pershall got a master’s degree in music and an artist diploma from Yale. He performed at several opera houses across the U.S., and in December he made his New York Metropolitan Opera debut in The Barber of Seville. Today, he’s the house baritone at Austria’s Vienna State Opera, one of the most famous opera houses in the world. [See Pershall in action.]

    Kiri Deonarine, BME ’07 (pictured above), is also making waves internationally, “with a voice that is clear, liquid, and plush in tone.” Like her former classmate, Denoarine has performed with operas around the U.S. (including multiple times with the Met Opera). Last summer, she made her European debut with the Czech National Symphony, performing a solo in Carmina Burana. [Hear Deonarine perform.]

    And scattered across the United States are dozens of singing Bears: Marjorie Owens, BM ’02, made her Met debut in 2015. Eddie Gauntt, BM ’79, has been performing in Germany for 30+ years. Thomas Cannon, BM ’06, studied at Juilliard on a full scholarship after graduating from Baylor. John Boehr, BM ’05, a Waco native, recently joined the Minnesota Opera. Tyson Miller, BM ’10, is a Utah Opera resident artist. Jay Hunter Morris, BMED ’86, performs around the world and is the author of Diary of a Redneck Opera Singer. Luretta Bybee, BM ’78, now a professor at Loyola University New Orleans, has performed with operas in Seattle, New Orleans, Montreal, Vancouver and more.

    These alumni are flinging their green and gold across the globe, in a realm that otherwise might not know the Baylor name. So if you get a chance to see these talented Baylor alumni belt their heart out, do!

    Sic ’em, opera-singing Bears!

    [Since our original post, readers like you have shared even more Bears in opera: Anna Baxter, MM ’99, a soprano, has performed across the U.S., Europe and Asia. Marcus Haddock, a tenor who got his start at Baylor and performed at the Met and London’s Royal Opera House before a pair of strokes in 2009, is today teaching and training to sing again. Julie Davies, BM ’03, has performed in cities as far-flung as Rio de Janeiro, Paris and Madrid. Tonna Miller-Valles, BM ’93, has performed at the Met and on Broadway. Carol Wyatt, BMED ’65, spent two decades singing opera professionally across Europe and North America before launching an international music ministry. Any other professional opera Bears missing from our round-up? Let us know!]