LEAP Presents: Julia Surette
L.E.A.P. presents…Ms. Julia Surette, Soprano Opera Singer!
On Tuesday, April 24, 2018, the L.E.A.P. Club was proud to open the door of the Lion’s Den to an incredibly vibrant and up-and-coming Opera Singer from our own Brantford community—Ms. Julia Surette!
As a recent graduate of McGill University, Ms. Surette came to share her use of “words, words, words” as a student of classical music, an aficionado of operatic culture, and as an award winning singer with experience on both the Canadian and international opera stages! She shared insights as to how opera music defies language barriers and can move an audience to some of the greatest historically rooted emotions—celebration, despair, grief, and love—with the use of the human voice as a powerful, free-standing instrument. Did you know that opera singers perform without microphones or technology like auto-tune?!
Fluent in French with a working knowledge of multiple other languages including German and Italian, Ms. Surette sang two separate pieces to L.E.A.P. members and special guests over our lunch periods spreading shivers among the crowds. She demonstrated that although many young adults may be reluctant to appreciate or listen to opera music, it permeates popular culture including the movies and cartoons that they grew up watching. In fact, even the animated villains we love are based on operas that originated in the 18th and 19th centuries. Her challenge to her captivated audience was that everyone should take a few minutes to appreciate the emotional power of opera and how the themes and story lines are ones that everyone, of every age, can truly learn to embrace and love! These operas showcase universal themes that touch on the power of the human experience, and they relate to each of us—even in the year 2018!
Later this year, Ms. Surette will be heading to Germany to expand her understanding of the German language and the European opera experience before she returns home to pursue a Master’s Degree. We know that this graduate of St. John’s College is destined to have a very successful career and we will be watching this “Honorary Lion” as she makes her climb!
Thank you for coming, Julia! We learned so much and we hope that one day you will come back and share a little bit more of your amazing story with us at L.E.A.P.!
