2 Minutes With … Emily Austin: Singing in the birthplace of opera

2 Minutes With … is a series of short features to introduce us to the passions and interests of Lawrence students on and off campus.

Emily Austin ’21 took two trips of a lifetime to Novafeltria, Italy, through La Musica Lirica, an opera training program that sends promising vocalists to the birthplace of opera for an intensive five-week performing experience.

Austin, a music performance major in the Lawrence Conservatory’s voice studio, first got involved in 2017 when La Musica Lirica held one of its annual auditions at Lawrence. She was one of a handful of chosen students, and in the summer of 2018 she took the stage as Despina in a performance of Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte. The incredible experience drove her to audition again later that year and earn a spot in the 2019 summer program.

“Being in the place that opera was born and studying it was by far the most important and coolest aspect of the program,” she says.

Staying busy

Austin’s time in Italy with La Musica Lirica was far from rest and relaxation. The students’ itineraries were packed with Italian classes in the morning and rehearsal in the afternoon and evening, not to mention master classes with visiting artists, instruction in Italian diction and vocal lessons.

And then there was preparing for your role. This summer, Austin starred as Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, one of the most ambitious roles in opera; Susanna is on stage for the entirety of the four-hour production. Austin fought through the stress and says she had the experience of a lifetime, learning much about herself and her craft.

“I was singing my big aria usually at 12:30 at night, which was a challenge and a test of stamina,” she says. “It was definitely an amazing opportunity for me to grow as an artist and performer.”

Finding her voice

Austin, from Washington, D.C., recalls how her love of music and singing was instilled in her long before she came to Lawrence. Her mother took her to baby music classes and she always loved singing along with the radio. There was never a time when music wasn’t part of her life.

“Singing was sort of innate,” she says. “It was just something that seemed right.”

She started taking voice lessons in her freshman year of high school. She scored her first role in an opera here at Lawrence as a lead in the 2018 production of Count Ory, followed by a role in Mass last year. She has since come into her own as a singer with all the skills and passion to succeed in Italy.

“It gave me so much confidence,” she says. “It was a really big challenge for me. Succeeding in that way, being recognized for the hard work that I put in in the biggest role I’ve ever done, was really rewarding. I feel like now that I’ve sung that role, I can do anything. And so many amazing memories.”