News release Public Information Office   SLU 10880   Hammond, LA 70402   phone: 985-549-2341   fax: 985-549-2061 publicinfo@selu.edu     www.selu.edu/news Contact: Christina Chapple Date: 10/3/03   Click on image for publication quality photo TRIO OF SOUTHEASTERN SINGERS PRESENT ARIAS       HAMMOND -- Fifteen arias and a trio of singers comprise the program for a special recital October 13 at Southeastern Louisiana University’s Pottle Music Building Auditorium.       The free 7:30 p.m. recital is a preview for soprano Kenya Lawrence of Hammond and mezzo-sopranos Daveda Karanas of Mandeville and Amanda Tarver of Prairieville, who will perform the operatic works at the New Orleans-Mobile-Shreveport district auditions of the Gulf Coast Region of the Metropolitan Opera National Council at Tulane University on October 18. The singers are all students of Southeastern voice professor Scharmal Schrock.       A Southeastern graduate, Lawrence received the Southeastern Department of Music and Dramatic Art’s James Wilcox award, annually presented to the outstanding senior music student. She earned her master’s degree from Southeastern Methodist University in Dallas. She has performed in numerous roles including Gianetta in the Meadows Opera Theater’s production of “The Gondoliers” and Despina in “Cosi fan tuti” with Studio Lirico in Anghiari, Italy. She currently is teaching privately and preparing for the music audition season.       Karanas, a Mandeville native now residing in Hammond, has performed numerous roles in Southeastern productions, including “Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris,” “Annie,” “Oliver!,” “Suor Angelica,” “Die Fledermaus, “Tartuffe,” and “The Medium.” In 2001, she studied and performed in Salzburg, Austria, with the University of Miami Summer Program. In Salzburg, she performed opera scenes as the title role in “Carmen” and as Maddalena in Verdi’s “Rigoletto.” Karanas has performed as a soloist with many Southeastern ensembles. She is director of musical activities for Southeastern’s Omicron Delta Chapter of the professional music fraternity Delta Omicron, and is an instructor in the university’s Community Music School.       Tarver was a finalist in a previous Met regional audition. She has performed in a variety of roles on Southeastern and Columbia Players stages, including “Little Red Riding Hood” and “Die Fledermaus.” In summer 2001, she studied performance technique and Italian through a Julliard School of Music masterclass program in Greve, Italy. Along with her stage experience, she has also participated in masterclasses presented by Benita Valente and Ruth Falcon.       The singers will perform arias from operas such as Verdi’s “Rigoletto” and “Il Trovatore,” Mozart’s “Cosi fan tuti,” Bizet’s “Carmen,” Donizetti’s “La Fille du Regiment,” and Strauss’ “Ariadne auf Naxos.”       The auditions are a nationwide competition beginning at the National Council's district level and culminating in the National Council Grand Finals Concert at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. More than 2,000 singers audition for the program in 16 regions encompassing the United States, Canada, Australia, and Puerto Rico.       For additional information, contact Schrock at 9850549-2336. Return to News Releases