Singing her way through Europe

Laura Aikin will make her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1998 as the Queen of the Night in Mozart's "The Magic Flute." Capturing the coloratura role is another coup for the Europe-based soprano, who received her B.F.A. in music education and vocal performance in 1986.

On October 3, Aikin returns to UB to perform in the Sesquicentennial Alumni Concert, where she will display the vocal talents that earned her warm applause at both the Salzburg Festival and Vienna State Opera.

"My favorite professors were Dr. Harriet Simons and Gary Burgess," she says. "I met them while I was still a student at Clarence (N.Y.) High School. They encouraged me to stay in the Buffalo area to begin my studies. When I entered UB, I had had little exposure to classical music in general and no exposure to opera. My dream was to be a music teacher. With their encouragement, and through my experiences at UB, I decided to pursue an operatic career."

Aikin has taken their lessons to heart, establishing herself in the musical capitals of Europe. In 1992, after finishing her studies at the Hochschule für Musik in Munich, she joined the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin under the direction of Daniel Barenboim-here she has performed leading operatic roles, while maintaining a busy schedule as a concert and lieder artist.

"My favorite memories of UB include conducting class with Dr. Simons," Aikin says. "I was not terribly successful as a conductor, but she softened the blow by reminding me that I was meant to sing in front of an orchestra, not conduct one.

"Opera Workshop with Gary Burgess introduced me to more than just opera as an art forum. It also showed me how a group of young people can work together, while involved in all aspects of production, from costumes to sets, from makeup to lighting, and create something of which we were all very proud. This team mentality serves me well to this day."