Soprano Adrienne Danrich participated in a residency with students.
For young people, finding their way in the world can be difficult. But sometimes the right teacher or mentor—and the power of music—can help. Such was the case for one student who participated in a Cincinnati Opera school program.
Soprano Adrienne Danrich
In November 2019, Cincinnati Opera welcomed soprano, composer, and educator Adrienne Danrich for a residency around Danrich’s Emmy Award-winning program This Little Light of Mine: The Stories of Marian Anderson and Leontyne Price. Commissioned by Cincinnati Opera in 2007, Danrich’s This Little Light of Mine is a one-woman musical tribute honoring the groundbreaking careers of two courageous women who overcame racial barriers in order to raise their voices in song.
Danrich has performed This Little Light of Mine in Cincinnati in the past, but during this unique six-day residency she engaged students in the process. 18 young women learned portions of the work and even performed alongside Danrich in her 91st rendition of the show, serving either as soloists, ensemble members, or as orators for the text in the production.
The students taking part in Adrienne Danrich’s residency were selected from several schools, thanks to a partnership between Saint Ursula Academy and the Ladies in Leadership program, a nonprofit organization “focused on building and enhancing leadership and interpersonal skills for inner city young ladies in impoverished communities” and helping those students develop confidence through mentorship and sisterhood.
One young woman in particular experienced the transformative power of music and sisterhood firsthand. Having recently weathered the difficult transition to a new school, this bright student was losing interest in her education and was reluctant to engage in the residency. She had never sung before, but after only two days of the program she opened up, connected with the other members of the program, and even asked how to audition for solo opportunities. Her mother later told Opera staff that a week prior to the start of the residency they had prayed for something to give her new hope and reignite her passion for learning. This experience ended up being the spark she was looking for.
Ms. Danrich noticed the change in this student as well—and recognized it as a similar fire to the one that Danrich’s very first voice teacher had lit in her years ago. Following the residency, Danrich spoke to the student on the phone to share some exciting news—Danrich would connect the student with the very same voice teacher that ignited her own passion for opera. The student’s excitement was palpable.
“Music is powerful,” says Danrich. “I had no idea how much I would love opera and classical music until I began to study with an incredible voice teacher who opened up a whole new world of musical expression for me. It changed everything!”
This residency and performance marked the first time that Danrich involved young people directly into the fabric of the show, and the results were positive. “Having them not only witness but be a part of telling the stories of these operatic legends was really important to me,” she says. “This year was marked ‘The Year of the Woman,’ and in light of Cincinnati Opera’s association with The Power of Her, including these young ladies in my presentation of This Little Light of Mine was key.”