Pepperdine Opera Students Win Prestigious National Opera Association Award

Seaver College students in the Flora L. Thornton Opera Program were awarded First Place in the Opera Division I category of the National Opera Association’s Collegiate Opera Scenes Competition at the annual national convention held in Santa Barbara on January 5. The participating Pepperdine students presented a scene from Mozart’s two-act opera Don Giovanni.

The talents of several Pepperdine faculty members were also demonstrated throughout the production. Thornton Opera Program director and music professor Henry Price III provided stage direction and adjunct professor Andy Gladbach (’15), associate professor of music Louise Lofquist, and visiting instructor David Wilkinson provided musical direction. Adjunct professor of theatre and costume designer Melanie Watnick led costume design.

Price was additionally presented with the National Opera Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual convention on January 7. Sophomore

Matthew Soibelman and alumnus Rudy Giron (’15) were national finalists at the vocal competition held at the event. Giron also received the Legacy Award, a special award presented to the leading minority student in the competition.

The Thornton Opera Program’s complete production of Don Giovanni was presented at Smothers Theatre on February 23 and February 25.

ead more about the opera students: magazine.pepperdine.edu/opera-award