Hello! My name is Arden Dubret, and I am a 20-year-old sophomore vocal performance student at Southeastern Louisiana University, and I am a 2023 honors graduate of Ponchatoula High School. I am involved in several local theaters. Recently, I have been accepted into an opera program in Kiefersfelden, Germany called IPAI Bavaria. It is a young artist's summer program (July 6 - July 26) focused on cultivating growth in performers. I am looking to raise money for my tuition, which is about $4900, and I would love your help!

I have been involved in the performing arts since I was 4 years old. I took dance classes for 10 years before absolutely falling in love with singing and acting alongside it. I feel in my soul this is what I was made to do. I cannot see myself doing anything else and feeling fulfilled if I am not making music and performing for people. With every note I sing and with everything I do onstage, there is a piece of myself in it. Being an artist is learning to express the thoughts and feelings we ourselves don't always have the words for. I have gone through many changes in my life, but through it all, the one thing that has been a constant has been my artistry and its weight in my life. Nothing quite soothes my spirit and brings me joy in the way music does, and I always want to be the person that inspires those same feelings in the people I perform for. People watch performances to escape and experience, and I love to be part of that outlet while also honoring the voice in my soul that tells me to sing and create.

IPAI would definitely be a change of pace and scenery for me, and I think it is just what I need in my life right now to really push my artistry. I have never been out of the country before, and I have never done a young artist's program. I think these circumstances might be the perfect climate to really spark change in me and the way I approach my craft. Additionally, I really want to make connections with people outside of my local area, because in my almost 20 years of life, I have never left southeast Louisiana. I've always been a lover of people, but I want to meet other young artists who share my drive and passion for what I do.