The past few weeks have been a busy time for Vocal Performance Senior Brandon Roth. In the midst of his final semester of classes, he found out he earned an “Emerging Talent” Award with a cash prize from the Kurt Weill Foundation’s prestigious Lotte Lenya Competition. According to the foundation’s website, the competition “was founded in 1998, to honor the centenary of the birth of Lotte Lenya (1898-1981), an extraordinary singer/actress and one of the foremost interpreters of the music of her husband, Kurt Weill (1900-1950), and it recognizes talented singer/actors of all nationalities, ages 19-32, who are dramatically and musically convincing in repertoire ranging from contemporary Broadway scores to opera/operetta, including the works of Kurt Weill.”
If that was not enough, Mr. Roth also received his first professional acting job offer from College Light Opera Company in Massachusetts, where he will perform both principal and secondary roles in four productions this summer, including the Pirate King in Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance. He will have the opportunity to work with Tony nominated actors Bryce Pinkham and Hunter Foster, as well as another Blugold – Miles Plant, who will music direct one of the productions Roth will be in this summer.
Dr. Ken Pereira, Brandon’s voice teacher at UWEC, says, “What sets Brandon apart from others is his ability to take direction and apply it to his work as a performer. This has allowed him to become more confident in his technique and artistry, which carries him through his auditions and performances. It has also given him the courage to put himself out there, which is certainly giving him wonderful returns right now. I’m proud of him and our work together.”
Prior to his professional debut in Massachusetts, Brandon will be leading one cast in the upcoming UWEC production of Weill’s The Threepenny Opera in May.
