Reginald Smith Jr. - An Opera Star In The Making

Reginald Smith Jr. from University of Kentucky gave a shot to opera 5 years ago when he went to Atlanta from Lexington to audition for opera. Fast forward to today, he's an international opera singer in the making, flying from Lexington to Houston for a studio artist vacancy in Houston Grand Opera.

He used to sing in the choir at his local church while growing up in Georgia. Smith's mother was the director, and opera was eventually introduced to him despite the fact that he didn't have any other formal music training. He and his brother joined elementary choir together. His brother gave up singing in school choirs but Smith continued.

Choosing the Right University

Smith saw his first opera in the 10th grade, and he says that was the turning point of his life and the moment when the ‘opera bug' bit him. Smith then began to look for colleges for further education in the field. He looked into the programmes that were being offered, how they were being perceived, and the activities alumni were involved in after graduation.

Smith was aware that music education degrees and coaching can help students in major cities such as New York and other lesser-known music culture cities to enhance their singing skills.

However, he realized that a good degree in music from universities providing the best student experience would come at a high cost, so he also kept an eye on possible scholarships and traveled by bus to get to the Alltech Vocal Scholarship competition held in UK. He won that competition and got a tuition waiver in the process. Smith decided to major in both choral music education as well as vocal performance so that he could make a difference.

Smith always had an interest in teaching while growing up. In the junior year of his high school, his voice teacher told him to consider a vocal major when he went to college. He then decided to choose two majors instead of one. He acknowledges that the degrees give him variety to leave an impact on the lives of others. He is fine with pursing his passion on both the stage and in the classroom.

Experience on Stage

Smith has performed on local and international stages. He has different operas, choral concerts, and plays from the Department of Theatre in the UK to his name. He labels Falstaff's role that he played in Verdi's Falstaff as his favorite and looks forward to doing that role again and enhancing the skills learned in the UK.

Smith wanted to explore beyond the public school systems in US. He thinks the way music is taught in US is great, but he decided to move to Germany to expand on his skills. He also studied the German language in the UK for 2 years before leaving, which helped him overcome some of the language problems he faced initially.

Like other graduates of opera/voice in the Autumn, Smith also spent his time auditioning for opera companies and programmes. He auditioned for the Houston Grand Opera Studio Program and was asked to take part in the finals.

The finals were at the same time as when Smith had to teach, but he was fortunate enough to do a final audition. He got an e-mail of acceptance for the Studio Program at Houston Grand Opera later. Smith will now have the opportunity to work with the best operatic staff members and vocal coaches in US, whom he calls ‘opera stars.'

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