Jackson State University hosts Summer Opera/South Boot Camp

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. 

The Opera/South Boot Camp students were selected and/or recommended for a week of intensive training by professors from their respective institutions, including Alcorn State University, Tougaloo College, and Xavier University of Louisiana. 

The students were highlighted in two free-to-the-public open concert performance recitals and a Master Class held at the Jimmie James Jr. Recital Hall on the JSU campus. The first student appearances began on Wednesday, June 11, at 6:30 p.m.  Student recital selections were presented by Morgan Crosby, Soprano, Xavier University of Louisiana, Chanson d’amour; Kaytie Jeffries, Soprano, JSU, He’s Got The Whole World; Ja’Myri Jones, Soprano, Alcorn State University, Amarilli mia bella; Jeremy Bew, Tenor, JSU, Were You There; Tiara Jackson, Soprano, Tougaloo College, Is There Anybody Here Who Loves My Jesus; Caris Green, Bass, Xavier University of Louisiana, Ombra mai fu from Serse; A’Mya Owney, Soprano, Xavier University of Louisiana, Michieu Banjo; Reginald Washington, Baritone, Tougaloo College, Già il sole dal Gange; Mya Kennedy, Alcorn State University, Ev’ry Time I Feel The Spirit; India Turner, Soprano, Xavier University of Louisiana, Ridente la calma;  and Julia Johnson, Soprano, JSU, Oh What A Beautiful City. The Master Class and workshops were taught by the visiting faculty, focusing on vocal technique, diction, pitch, stage presence, audience engagement, costuming, and interviewing tips to prepare the participants for in-person auditions with opera companies.

Dr. Lewis-Hale said, “We wanted the Summer Opera/South Boot Camp to revitalize the community interest in opera and provide students in the southern region exposure to experiences with world-class instructors in an intensive education opportunity setting where they would be close to home. This intensive experience not only marks a new chapter in the revitalization of Opera/South, but also celebrates a powerful exchange of artistry, culture, and education across HBCU communities and beyond.”

During interviews with Opera/South students, they expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to interact with expert training and networking with peers in the opera industry, which will give them time to develop lifelong professional relationships and place themselves in a musical environment that is a once-in-a-lifetime, unique opportunity. All agreed the Inaugural SOS Summer Opera/South Boot Camp provided them the most practical application of opera curriculum they had ever experienced.

Ms. Rhoyia Hope Crozier, a 90-year-old poet, creative consultant, and Arts & Humanities presenter of seminars, lectures, and informances, is an alumni of Xavier University. During an exclusive interview, she said she was once the teacher of music icon Barry White, Dr. Phyllis Lewis-Hale (JSU professor), Pamela Moody (choir director at Jim Hill High School), and Jackson Police Department Officer Carl Ellis (son of Bluesman Bobby Rush). Crozier explained: “I was a student and mentee of Dr. Dollye M.E. Robinson, the esteemed JSU educator and opera music benefactor who was responsible for the building and design of the F.D. Hall Music Center on the JSU campus. Sister Mary Elise, SBS (Sister of the Blessed Sacrament) is the founder of the Opera Program at Xavier University. Sister Elise brought her to JSU as a student. Dr. Robinson was also a founding board member when the Opera/South program began back in the 1970s.” Dr. Robinson was such a prominent and staunch supporter of JSU that there is a Dollye Robinson Liberal Arts Building that bears her name.

The Inaugural SOS Summer Opera/South Boot Camp finale of activities culminated with a Closing Concert held on Saturday, June 14 at 3:00 p.m. in the Jimmie James Jr. Recital Hall. The Closing Concert was a grand showcase for all Summer Opera/South Boot Camp participants, complete with staging, costumes, with accompaniment by the Opera/South Chamber Orchestra. The students presented performances of a newly commissioned opera of the Margaret Walker Center’s “Jubilee” by Randy Klein, composer, and Joan Sorkin, librettist, and other arias and ensemble work, highlighting a week of intensive training. Mr. Donald Lee III served as the conductor, and Tyler Tucker was the pianist for the Closing Concert. The Jackson State University College of Liberal Arts and Department of Music presented the Closing Concert.

An elaborate and elegant Closing Reception was held at the JSU art gallery to celebrate with the artists, faculty, and community-at-large to cap off a very successful SOS Opera /South Boot Camp.

Closing remarks were offered by Dr. Lewis-Hale, stating, “The SOS Inaugural Opera/South Boot Camp was extremely successful and exhilarating for the faculty and students.” She also thanked Ms. Alicia Bell, volunteer/coordinator from Mississippi Opera.

Major sponsors of the SOS Inaugural Summer Opera/South Boot Camp were NEA, JSU, Yale, and the Margaret Walker Center. Supporting sponsors were Opera America, Pensacola Opera, and Opera Mississippi. Partner sponsors were Xavier University of Louisiana, Alcorn State University, Tougaloo College, and the HBCU Opera & Musical Theater Collective.