Six West Texas A&M University students will make both sweet music and valuable connections at an international music intensive in July.

From July 5 to 25, the students will participate in the International Performing Arts Institute, an auditioned educational experience to be held this year in Fairhope, Ala., that offers performance, career development and training with international operatic and musical theater artists.

“Students are nurtured in so many ways,” said Matt Oglesby, associate lecturer in voice. “Every student is treated on an individual basis in ways to help them engage their artistic passions. Educationally, it is a phenomenal experience, and it also offers them the chance to sing for agents, opera companies and musical theater companies from around the world.”

Traditionally, IPAI is held in Kiefersfelden, Germany, but it shifted to an online format in 2020 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Several WT students took part in that virtual intensive and now get the chance to participate in person in Alabama.

“I’m excited to meet these clinicians in person,” said Savannah Poor, a senior musical theater major from Odessa. “You can learn online, but you do miss that human interaction. I did the online version last year, and I was still able to make connections with people. Even though I was nervous at first to be singing for these VIPs, they don’t feel that way after you get to know them.”

“My first time in Germany was an eye-opening experience,” said Eleisha Miller, a senior vocal performance major from San Antonio. “At the time, I was really struggling with myself as a performer and questioning if this was what I was supposed to be doing. But the faculty at IPAI pushed me to get better. It was such an affirming experience.”

Also planning to attend are Shannon Burr, a graduate student from Harrisburg, Pa.; Connor Nall, a junior music education major from Canyon; Johnny Spruill, a senior musical theatre major from Odessa; and Julian MacDonald, a junior general studies major from Houston.

Oglesby will teach voice and will perform with colleagues in a faculty recital.

Providing a nurturing yet rigorous educational environment for students and recognizing the importance of the arts and culture are key tenets of the University’s long-term plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

-West Texas A&M University