Biography

Soprano Bonnie Blackwell began her operatic journey nearly 10 years ago when she first started studying classical voice as a sophomore in High school. It did not take much time for her to realize that her desire to pursue opera wasn’t a desire at all, but a necessity. She is currently based in Tuscaloosa, Alabama earning her Master of Music degree at the University of Alabama where she works with Dr. David Tayloe and the UA Opera Theatre. She has been seen as Casilda in Gilbert and Sullivan's The Gondoliers as well as Lauretta in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi with the company. She earned both her Diploma and her Bachelor of Music at The University of North Carolina School of the Arts, in May of 2016 and 2020 respectively under the guidance of Professor Glenn Siebert. She was a part of the Piedmont Opera chorus from 2018-2021 when she was based in Winston Salem and in October 2021 she was able to make her role debut with the company as Suor Dolcina in Sour Angelica. Her opera chorus appearances include productions of Pirates of Penzance, La Bohème, L’elisir d’amore, and Maria Stuarda. While at UNCSA She performed Amor in Gluck’s Orfeo e Eurydice in 2018 and as The Third Knitter in Seymour Barab’s A Game of Chance in 2019. As an undergraduate student she has been seen in two AJ Fletcher Opera Institute productions as part of the chorus: La clemenza di Tito in 2020 and Florencia en el Amazonas in 2017. Looking back she would choose performing in the Street Chorus of UNCSA’s 2018 Main Stage production of Bernstein’s MASS as the opportunity with the biggest impact. She was featured as the soloist who sang “Hurry.” Her experiences outside of school have included performances such as the featured Young Artist for Music for a Great Space and as a featured soloist for The English Speaking Union of Guilford County. She has been featured a soloist in UNCSA Cantata Singers concerts as well as at Home Moravian Church where she was the Soprano Section Leader and is still a member. Bonnie has won two national titles in vocal competitions thus far; Third Place nationally in 2018 at the National Association of Teachers of Singing, National Student Auditions in the Lower College Women’s division, and Third place nationally in 2016 at Classical Singer in the High School division. Bonnie believes that music has an incredible power to connect people and wants to use her voice to do just that. 

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Header Photo by André Peele