Jackson State University (JSU) had boots on the ground for a week-long inaugural Summer Opera/South Boot Camp, which brought together a select group of 11 music education students who are the opera stars of tomorrow.
The Summer Opera/South Boot Camp was held June 8-14, 2025, on the campus of Jackson State University. The music majors were well prepared for an intensive week of learning from five professional camp faculty members headed by Dr. Phyllis Lewis-Hale, a soprano and JSU professor leading Black opera initiatives for the HBCU Opera & Musical Theater Collective.
The Summer Opera/South Boot Camp faculty included Dr. Albert Lee, Dean and Tenor at Yale University, focused on Black art song; Dr. John Wesley Wright, Tenor and Voice Professor at Salisbury University; Donald Lee III, Conductor/Pianist with Lyric Opera Chicago; Dr. Sakinah A. Davis, Soprano and Opera Director at Xavier University and Member of the HBCU Opera & Musical Theater Collective; and Tyler J. Tucker, Pianist and Coach at the University of Oklahoma…