Aimee: I want to ask, how did you first get started in music? 

Anna: First, I was always singing as a child. My family is a big sports family, and I had this Little Tikes microphone, and during the commercial breaks, I made them mute the TV and listen to me sing. That was who I was as a child, and then around the time to look for middle schools, my mom did not want me going to my local middle school, but she knew that there was this magnet middle school for the arts. It is still a public school, but you have to audition to get in. I was around 11 years old, and I remember it so specifically, which is ironic since I do not have a particularly good memory, so it is interesting that I remember this moment so well. I was in the back seat of the car and my mom said, “you know, there is a school where you could sing, are you interested in auditioning and?” I said, “OK, that sounds fun.” I got my little song ready, but my family's not musical at all, so I did not know how to read music. I knew nothing, but I auditioned. I sang “Dream a Little Dream of Me.” I remember my audition outfit and everything and the choir director asked me to match pitch, and I got in and that is where I got my music education began. From 6th through 8th grade, I was in choir, and I also had designated music theory classes each year. I remember hearing the 8th graders sing their solos and ensemble pieces, in Italian or other languages, and I thought, “this is so cool; I want to do that.” All my schooling from 6th to 12th grade was at a performing arts school, so that is where it started. I knew early on that singing was what I was going to do. There was never a second guess. Early on in high school, I said “I am auditioning for colleges for music” and that is how it all started. 

 Aimee: Talk about your undergraduate application process and experience at your chosen institution 

Anna: For my undergraduate degree I auditioned for two schools in Florida and then two outside of Florida. I only got into the University of North Florida (UNF), which is in my hometown. I did not get into FSU or Carnegie Mellon. I did get into Manhattan School of Music, but I got no scholarship, and it was about $50,000 a year living in New York City. I ended up going to UNF,  but I did not want to go there initially because I wanted to leave home, but it ended up being the best thing for me because it is a smaller, undergraduate focused school, which meant there were a ton of opportunities right out the gate because we did not have graduate students to compete with. I had my first role my freshman year, and I had a great community there because it was small and tight knit.  It was there that I feel like I gained a lot of confidence in what I had to offer because, you know, the rejection of auditioning for schools at 17 or 18 and not getting in is tough, but UNF was a very nurturing environment, which I really needed. I don’t think I would have done well at a cutthroat place in that time of my life. 

Aimee: I totally understand that. Now remind me, did you start out as a soprano or a mezzo soprano, and talk about that journey?  

Anna: I started as a mezzo soprano in my undergrad, but at the end of year four, I auditioned for a bunch of graduate schools as a soprano because I decide to make the switch from mezzo to soprano, but I did not really get in anywhere, so, I knew that I need to take some time to make this change.

Aimee: How did you know that you were wanting to switch from mezzo to soprano? 

Anna: To be honest, I did not want to. I really identified with a lot of like mezzo repertoire. I think it's interesting how much our like fach can influence our personality, so untangling that was hard because I really liked mezzo repertoire. I started feeling more comfortable in the high range, and I was singing, high lyric, mezzo roles like I Cherubino and other higher pants roles like that. However, it just became the pattern where I would go to schools and have trial lessons, and the teachers say “You're not a mezzo, so why don't we try it in this key.” Then they would would say, that this is what I should be doing. It was just one of those things that became clear that I just needed to do, but it was a long, difficult process honestly. 

Aimee: Was your teacher supportive in the transition from mezzo to soprano? 

Anna: Yes, he definitely was. He did the best with what I could do at the time since I was so uncomfortable singing high for a lot of my undergrad, so there was just only so much we could do for the first couple of years. By the time I was getting more comfortable with it, he agreed that this was the right choice, and he helped me through the initial stages of that transition into a different fach. 

Aimee: How long after you finish your undergraduate degree did you decide to pursue a master's degree?  

Anna: I knew I wanted to immediately, so I auditioned in the time that everybody does, spring semester of your senior year, but I didn’t pass a lot of pre-screenings, but I did get an audition UMKC. I didn’t take it because it felt like a sign that I was not ready yet. So, then I did it all again the next year, and I got a lot more auditions. I auditioned at maybe six or seven places, but it was a comparable situation where I did not get into most, but I again got into UMKC, so that was that was my graduate school process, but it was hard time of life. It is so hard because it is like this thing we are fed right?  You do your undergraduate degree and then you do your Master's and then you do a young artist program and then you are set, right? That is what you do, but that is not the case for a lot of people. So that was that was difficult time for me not getting in the first go around.  

Aimee: What kept you going after experiencing that kind of rejection? 

Anna: Well, I knew that this is where I wanted to be. It might sound cheesy, but it was the thing I always wanted since I was a child, and it was not that I needed to be some star or sing it all the best houses. But I knew that this is what I am here to do in whatever capacity I can. So, that is what kept me going, alongside my community, I was lucky to have supportive people in my life that helped me pick myself up. 

Aimee: That’s wonderful to hear. Now talk about your master’s journey  

Anna: My masters, it was honestly, really huge for me, like moving away from home for the first time, being in a new city, and having a place that was mine. The move was valuable for me because I was in a group of people that were all excited about higher musical knowledge and about singing, that was really inspiring for me. I still faced the same issues where I kept getting cast as a mezzo, which was very confusing because I did not even want to make the change in the first place, so to continually be getting cast as what I was was challenging for me because it made me question if I made the right choice. But again, I knew I was going to keep chugging away at this and knew that eventually it would make sense. My masters finished in 2020, and you know, 2020. It was hard because I didn’t get to walk at graduation, and I didn't get to have a final recital, so in a lot of ways, my master’s was not at all what I thought it was going to be. However, at the same time, I would not change it because I met some of my best friends that I know I will have forever. If I got nothing else out of it, having those relationships was worth it to me. I did find my forever teacher too, and that is huge. Since your early twenties are such a transitory time, I learned a lot about myself, and what I stand for and don’t and what I want to add to this industry, which are big takeaways from my early years in graduate school. 

Aimee: What were your performance experiences like during your master's degree? 

Anna: I got a small role in the spring show in my first year. We did Die Fledermaus, and I was adult sister Sally Ida, and then in my second year in the fall, I was cast as Clarina in La Cambiale di Matrimonio, an early Rossini opera. Also, it is technically a mezzo role, but it's also one of those things that it is kind of a high mezzo role. Then spring opera was cancelled, and I was also cast as a mezzo. So anyways, I guess, on paper I was like, quote on quote successful in getting cast, but it was not for roles that make sense for me or were true to my voice, so it was a weird thing. I think I was cast because I am personal as a performer. So, I think I can fill in holes for people, but the vocal mechanism was just still not in line. I was really struggling technically. For most of my time in college, I'd say until the last two years is when things really started to click into place, but before it did not. 

Aimee: During your masters, did you take any young artist auditions? 

Anna: I’ve auditioned for a lot of local programs. When I auditioned for UMKC the second time, I was a finalist for the Young Artist program with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, but I didn't get it. I then got a couple of auditions in my second year of my master's for Chicago Summer Opera, Opera North, but I didn’t get either of those things. I saw some success as far as prescreening recordings, but I was never able to break through to actually getting the gig in my masters. 

Aimee: I’m sorry to hear that. I want to as did you go straight on from your master's to your doctorate?  

Anna: So, 2020 everything shut down. There was not really any performing happening, but I wanted more time with my teacher, and I got scholarship to continue on with my DMA, so I might as well just keep chugging along at this because who knows when things will open again. I started Fall of 2020, and I did that whole first year online. 

Aimee: Did you feel like you were still able to grow as best as you could during that time? 

Anna: I definitely progressed further than I would have had I not been and that is all I could ask for at that time. It was a really hard time of my life. The pandemic made it hard, but even outside of it, it was hard for me in a lot of areas of life. Even though school was online and weird, it was this constant that I needed in that time of my life. Whatever progress I made in that year, the fact that I made it through without dropping out that year is pretty huge, so I took that as a win. 

Aimee: Did you take any auditions in the Fall of 2021? 

Anna: At that time, I was barely even convinced that I was going to continue in the doctorate and that I was going to continue pursuing performance. I was disheartened by many things in the industry and was burnt out. I came back to school in person because people convinced me to, and I am grateful for that, looking back on it because again, I think I really needed that push. At that time, I was thinking of just keeping one foot in front of the other, so I did not have the bandwidth for auditions that year, since I was getting back into the swing of school and singing in person that year. 

Aimee: What happened in the opera industry that was disheartening for you? 

Anna: I saw a lot of performative things of opera houses saying Black Lives Matter, and we care about that, and then not following through. They said that there were going to make all these changes in opera, and it was going to be more equitable by paying our artists and all these things, but it just didn't happen. And I was like “what are we doing here? What is the real point in all of this if it's not a career that people can live off” From that, I wondering what my place was in this and how I want to show up in that world. 

Aimee: That is really tough. So, in the Spring of 2022, you were cast in your first ever soprano role, Fiordiligi, how was that for you? 

Anna: It was huge for me, and I was terrified but so excited. I felt like I finally had an opportunity to show what I had to offer. I was excited about the music. It just felt true to where I was at the time, but there were so many growing pains throughout that, and I think I came out on the other side stronger. It was a challenging role in many ways. But again, I did feel very supported. I knew that I had something to say, and I knew I was going to put everything into that, and it was life changing in a lot of ways. I fell back in love with singing when at the time, but I was questioning everything, thinking “is this for me? Is this worth it? Do I love this as much as I think I do, or I once did? Is it gone?”  Fiordiligi was exactly what I needed, and I'm grateful for that time, opportunity, and doing it in the safety of school. It made me realize my love of opera; I love the whole process of opera. I love rehearsals. I love being in the theater for hours. I love digging into a character. I love the challenges. I love getting to play with people on stage I love and I was just so elated. I did not believe that I could pull off this role, and I don't know that I believed it until it actually happened, and I was proud for the first time in a very long time. It proved to me that I could do it vocally, mentally, and emotionally. 

Aimee: That’s an amazing experience! Thanks for sharing. That next Fall of 2022, did you take any auditions? 

Anna: I auditioned for all the things on the YAP tracker, and I got one for Sarasota Opera, which was their winter YAP, but I did not get that, and then I did not pass the pre-screenings for most other things. I did not audition for any pay to sings though because I could not pay for them to sing and do not believe in them. A big generalization, but I think a lot of them are kind of scams, since you are paying a lot of money for a role or cover.

Aimee: That makes sense, and after last year's audition season, how did you cope?  

Anna: It was hard. I don't know. I guess I just coped with it as best I could. There were some days where I was able to look at it from a more objective place of like, “well, I'm a soprano, there are a lot of sopranos and it's not personal,” and then there were days where I was not okay, and it was crushing, thinking like “why is it so hard to get in the door?” I guess honestly, just a day at a time, and I was in school full time, so I was distracted and that helped. But yeah, it was hard. 

Aimee: But then you got cast as Taller in Proving Up. What was your experience with that? 

Anna: It was a great experience. I mean, I had never sung a new opera, so I was thankful for the experience of getting to do that. It was a bit confusing because it is a mezzo role overall, but at the same time I feel like with new opera it's a little more lenient. I learned a lot, and it affirmed that I could learn hard music and get it together in a very short time. 

Aimee: After that performance, you did that recital with your boyfriend Powell, was there anything else? 

Anna: I don't think so. Not that I can remember. Yeah, and I didn't do a summer program this summer because I didn't get in. 

Aimee: How in the moments that it feels like very few sopranos are getting young artist programs do you stay motivated? 

Anna: I just keep chugging along until I decide that it is no longer what I want anymore. I still have this drive in me to keep going with this, and I fully expect that at some point that might not be the case. I might get to a point where I will say “you know what, I did this whole audition circuit however many times, and it is not working out for me, and I want to go into something else and that I will be okay.” For now, I'm not there yet, and it does help me to remember that it's not personal since there are so many of us, so it is a numbers game in a lot of ways. There are a lot of people that have amazing things to offer, and it does not take away what I have to offer since that is always inherently ours. People don't have to pick you for you to know that. I try to remind myself of that, but there are days that that doesn't work, and there are days that it does. I try not to put too much stock into it hoping that people pick me because it's futile.  

Aimee: I agree! Yeah. Do you know any sopranos that have, you know, gotten like a prestigious young artist program like with Wolf Trap or Glimmerglass? What do you think sets a soprano apart?

Anna: To be honest, I think maybe a little bit of everything: talent, timing, connections, etc. I don't know if there's a rhyme or reason since what we do is so subjective in many ways, which makes it complicated to dissect the ins and outs of casting and why it happens the way it does. There's always going to be something like that. I have no clue how or why it happens the way it does, and that's okay.  

Aimee: Definitely! I wanted to ask, what is your mentality going into your auditions?  

Anna: I'm always nervous. You know, there's always nerves. There's always trying to manage those nerves in whatever way they show up that day. I try to be present and immerse myself in the things that I'm singing. That helps calm me and remain present. I know some people do mantras or manifest. Some people are like, “I'm going to get the job” maybe that works. I might try them this go around, I don't know. But what I usually do is try not to overthink it. I just go in and do what I know how to do. 

Aimee: That’s a great mentality to have. I want to know: what are your future goals with singing?  

Anna: It fluctuates a lot. I want to sing. I want to perform, I want to start my own company at some point, but I want to have a life outside of singing as well. I don’t want it to be my entire life and personality; I want to find balance. There are things I'm not willing to give up or sacrifice for a fleeting career. I'm open. I like to direct. I like to teach. I like to sing. I like arts administration. I think that if I can find a way to put multiple things together to make a career in this world work, that's what it'll be. I have no idea what the next year or five years will bring, and I think maybe it would be better for me to have a bit more of a plan, but if I've learned anything, it's that my plans never end up going the way that I think they will, so I'm kind of just in a phase of life where I take every opportunity that I can that feels right for me and see where it leads. It's more of where I'm at right now and that might change. Maybe when I'm done with the doctorate, I'll have a little more bandwidth to be like “here's the plan for the next five years, ten years.” But I am trying to be present in my life and put myself out there like, and continue to do auditions and make the videos and send them in and you know, learn the new arias and do all the things and just see where it takes me.  

Aimee: What are the things outside of music that, as you said, are non-negotiables things you don't want to give up? 

Anna: I want a home. You know, I don't want to be living out of a suitcase for large chunks of the year. I want to have a family someday. I want to have the time and energy to spend with the people I love and foster my friendships and family relationships and romantic relationships. I want to have hobbies outside of music. I enjoy climbing and doing crossword puzzles and just doing normal human things. I want balance. Like I said, I want to have a performing career, but I won't feel like my time was wasted if it doesn't happen because I wouldn't have done it any other way. I wouldn't go back and change anything. I wouldn't have decided to get a different degree. I wouldn't have decided to go to a different place. I wouldn't change anything. If it ends up not working out the way that I wanted to, there will be something else at that time of my life that feels right. I don't have any doubt about that. I'll be able to figure out what path to take. Whatever your path is that the art and music you're making now still touches people.  It's a crazy thing that we do, and it has no guarantees, which is hard, but I'm sure other careers are also like that, but not all of them.  Now some people have very clear paths, so that makes it hard because you have to find balance somewhere or it will just eat you alive. But it's worth it for those moments it all falls into place, and you give a performance that you feel great about and with music that you love and doing it with people that you enjoy working with; it makes it all worth it. 

Aimee: Do you think your community has helped you to keep going? 

Anna: Yes absolutely. It takes a village. There's no way I could do this alone, and I feel grateful to have support. I have people to call and to sit down with and talk about this world and it’s something I don't take for granted. These are my people in this industry and its special being able to connect on the trials and the joys our singing. 

Aimee: That’s so great you have that community. What changes you hope to see in the opera industry in the future? 

Anna: Whatever it is I hope it will be different. I hope that opera companies get more creative about how to engage people in opera. It's just not something that a lot of people go to or listen to, or even know, so getting more creative in the ways to reach people and get them into the opera. Whether that's different programming, the ability to see offers for cheaper like traveling shows, but I think it's getting people in the door and making them feel welcome since it's something that is probably foreign to them. I don't think that suddenly opera is going to be some American fad, but I just think it seems like there just isn't a huge audience for it, and I think that opera has to do something about that for it to continue to be worth investing in. I don't know the answer, but that's what it's for, for the people that are coming to listen to it and experience something new.  

Aimee: I love that! Thanks so much for sharing Anna, you brought a lot of wonderful perspectives and insights into your journey as an artist!

Anna: Thanks for having me!