My Mizzou Story
Alicia Miles
Sacagawea was in her teens when she joined the Lewis and Clark expedition. Vocal student Alicia Miles will be only 21 when she steps on the professional stage at Opera Memphis to portray the young Shoshone in a lead role.
Miles, a senior, will sing the role of Sacagawea in the Opera Memphis production of Corps of Discovery on April 24 and 27. This achievement is a first for Mizzou and a rare, if not unique, student achievement in the world of professional opera.
"I've never hired a college undergraduate before," says Michael Ching, the artistic director of Opera Memphis.
Ching, who composed Corps of Discovery, decided Miles was right for the part after hearing her sing the role with MU's troupe in Charlottesville, Va., for the national Lewis and Clark bicentennial. "I was impressed with her performance," he explains straightforwardly.
"Alicia has a special blend of youth and wisdom in her personality," Ching says. "She combines it with a crossover approach to singing that brings to it the beauty of classical singing and the immediacy of pop singing."
Miles, who is understandably excited, thought she had her singing career mapped out. "It's starting sooner than I thought," she says. Her upcoming appearance with Opera Memphis garnered attention in St. Louis as well. One of the city's most-watched TV shows, Show Me St. Louis, featured her singing and in a live interview in late November.
Since then, she's been preparing for her professional debut by traveling to Memphis for coaching sessions with Ching, and she likes his style. "He takes his work seriously but doesn't take the fun out of it," she says.
Miles knows what a remarkable opportunity it is to work with a composer in creating a professional role. She will spend three weeks in Memphis rehearsing with the company before the premiere.
At MU, Miles studies with Associate Professor Jo Ella Todd, a former professional opera singer with companies in the United States and Europe. Miles gains confidence knowing that her vocal coach has a professional background, and Todd enjoys training this enthusiastic mezzo-soprano.
"It really is quite rare that anyone so young gets an experience like this," Todd says.
The role of Sacagawea is demanding. Todd describes the technical voice requirements of the role as "a mezzo-soprano with a top quite like a soprano but a low like a mezzo. That's a special voice."
In addition to her appearance at Charlottesville, Miles sang the role of Sacagawea for opening night at the world premiere in Columbia, Mo., and in a concert version at the Kennedy Center. She is eager to take the professional next step.
"I expect that Memphis audiences will love her," Ching predicts.
For the fourth consecutive year, Miles won Missouri's state competition of the National Association of Teachers of Singing.
Tickets for the April 24 and 27 performances at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts in Memphis are available through the Opera Memphis box office at (901) 257-3100 or online at www.operamemphis.org.