Vocal Performance

Opera singer singing with characters in the background

Find your Voice

For over 65 years, Loyola’s School of Music has trained vocalists to perform in major opera houses and concert halls all over the world. Join the Loyola vocal tradition.

Degree Programs

With voice as their primary instrument, students can pursue almost any degree in the School of Music from Vocal Performance to Music Therapy.

Learn more about School of Music degree programs.

Audition Information

Learn more about audition requirements for voice.

Private Lessons

Every singer works one-on-one with our renowned voice faculty in weekly private lessons leading up to a junior and senior recital.

Our faculty support student participation (and wins!) in the prestigious National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) competitions and the Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions. Loyola is also a regional host of the Met Auditions.

Loyola tuition includes live piano accompaniment with every voice lesson.

Choral Ensembles

Loyola offers several ensembles for voice students to participate in. Students who participate in the choral ensembles have had the opportunity to sing with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, perform at Carnegie Hall, and collaborate with New Orleans Opera. Under the direction of esteemed choral director Dr. Meg Frazier, these ensembles help Loyola voice students improve their sight-reading skills, increase their choral repertoire, and gain performance experience in several contexts.
Learn more about the Loyola Choirs.

Loyola Opera

Every year, voice students at Loyola have the opportunity to audition for and perform in a full-length opera as well as an opera scenes program. Students are not only immersed in the experience of learning and performing operatic repertoire, but they are also given chances to learn from visiting directors, choreographers, and even stage-fighting experts. Loyola's opera theatre program is directed by Carol Rausch, the music director for the New Orleans Opera Association.
Learn more about Loyola Opera Theatre.

Alumni

For over 65 years, Loyola’s School of Music has had a long tradition of distinguished graduates who have performed in the major opera houses and concert halls all over the world. Here are a few highlights.

  • Charles Anthony ’51: A tenor who had the distinction of appearing in more performances at the Metropolitan Opera than any other performer.
  • Norman Treigle ’54: A bass-baritone who was arguably the top bass-baritone of the Americas, acclaimed as one of the world's foremost singing-actors. 
  • Ruth Falcon ’64: A soprano who debuted at the Metropolitan opera in 1989.
  • Anthony Laciura ’74: A tenor has has appeared at the Metropolitan opera over 800 times.
  • Greer Grimsley ’76: A bass-baritone who has has sung leading roles with all of America's leading opera companies for thirty years, including the Metropolitan Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Seattle Opera, the San Francisco Opera, the Gran Teatre del Liceu of Barcelona, and the Houston Grand Opera. 
  • Alfred Walker ’96 A bass-baritone who performs at the best opera houses in the world.
  • Bryan Hymel ’01: The New York Times praised his “unflagging stamina and impetuous abandon” during his 2012 Metropolitan Opera debut as Énée in Les Troyens, for which he was presented with the Metropolitan Opera’s Beverly Sills Artist Award. 
  • Sarah Jane McMahon ’02: A frequent guest artist at New York City Opera, she performed Mabel in their production of The Pirates of Penzance and was described by The New York Times as “the most polished and flexible singer in the cast” and “a deft comic actress.
  • Angela Mannino ’02: She made her Metropolitan Opera debut after completing residency in Lyric Opera of Chicago's Ryan Opera Center. 
  • Emma Grimsley '14: A soprano who recently joined the national tour of The Phantom of the Opera as Christine and has performed in several operas throughout the country, including at Glimmerglass. 

Faculty

Our faculty are artist-teachers who maintain active performance careers and are excellent voice technicians and coaches. You will study vocal technique and repertoire, diction (learning the International Phonetic Alphabet), music history and theory, and the liberal arts courses that provide the cultural and historical framework for artistic performance.

Dr. Meg Frazier
Director of School of Music, Choirs

Dr. Tyler Smith
Coordinator, Professor of Voice

Ms. Luretta Bybee
Associate Professor of Voice

Ms. Eboneé Davis
Instructor of Voice

Ms. Ellen Frohnmayer
Associate Professor of Voice

Mr. Ivan Griffin
Instructor of Voice

Mr. Dreux Montegut
Associate Professor of Voice, Extraordinary Faculty

Ms. Carol Rausch
Director of Loyola Opera Theatre

Dr. Betsy Uschkrat
Instructor of Voice

Dr. Marcus St. Julien
Extraordinary Professor of Organ, Theory, and Voice

Ms. Claire Shackleton
Instructor of Voice