Caroline Starling's Opera Audition Tour!

Hi, there! My name is Caroline Starling, and I am operatic soprano (with a background in and an eternal love for singing musical theatre, jazz, and Disney tunes as well)!

It feels extremely vulnerable to say this on such a public platform, but I have dreamt my whole life of a career on the stage. Growing up, watching Golden Age movie musicals like Singin' in the Rain, The Sound of Music, and Fiddler on the Roof and more modern classics like Disney renaissance films and The Prince of Egypt garnered within me a deep love of musical storytelling. Fast forward to high school when I got the opportunity to begin formal vocal training at the Greenville Fine Arts Center. Then my bachelor's degree at FMU studying music technology and singing the pop/rock greats like Bon Jovi, Katy Perry, and Guns n' Roses. And finally, attending graduate school at Converse University and falling in love with opera (and by a happy twist of fate, finding myself good at it - with great tutelage and loads of hard work)!

I have had the great privilege of being a well-educated person, but if I have learned anything at all, I have learned the power and importance of storytelling. We are made of the stories that we tell. To ourselves and to each other. It is through story that we learn, feel, and grow. Opera is the quintessential combination of my two great passions: singing and storytelling. I want to share stories with the world the best way I know how. So...

In March and April of this year, I will be traveling to Germany (and perhaps Austria and Switzerland) for an audition tour. There is a robust system there - known as the Fest System - for full-time opera work, and it is an incredible way to begin an opera career. I will be traveling all over for the duration, so your donations will be used to fund:

-a handful of supplies before I disembark

-accommodation expenses

-train tickets

-food

-audition fees/accompanying costs (if needed for agencies, etc.)

-indubitably some other things I'm forgetting - my itinerary is still in progress

If you are able to support me in this next step of my journey, know that I will be working hard to make the world a better place. One story, one aria, at a time.

I want Magic! by André Previn

from A Streetcar Named Desire