TEACHING ARTIST
Mia currently teaches as an Opera Trunk Artist with the Pittsburgh Opera, bringing opera to classrooms (preK to senior citizen) of public, private, charter, and parochial schools in southwestern Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio. She is also on the music staff of the St. Dominic Savio Children's Choir School at St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Mt. Lebanon, PA, teaching choristers in Grades 3-8 general music theory, traditional transcription, sight-reading, proper vocal development, and chant notation.
Mia holds a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance, summa cum laude, from Bucknell University, with additional studies at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music Summer Opera Studio, the Neil Semer Vocal Institute in Germany, the Baroque Performance Institute at Oberlin College, and the Wesley Balk Opera/Music-Theater Institute.
She has a diverse portfolio of teaching experience and has taught as the Voice Teacher in Residence at Moon Area High School's Afterschool Lessons Program and as an Afterschool Artist in Residence at Propel McKeesport and Propel Northside, teaching an opera class for grades K-8. Her students have performed roles in their school musicals, participated in PMEA festivals (Honors, District, Region), and sung with the Jr. Mendelssohn Choir and Pittsburgh Youth Chorus (formerly Children's Festival Chorus).
How to bring opera to your school with the Pittsburgh Opera
“I felt called to write to you to tell how how wonderful the people are that were at school (Mia, John, Anastasia, and Shannon). They were so patient with the children, and I felt like I learned something as well. The way they involved the students was fantastic! I liked the way the had the kids repeat the words and explain what the terms meant and even to get their bodies into the songs — so, so important! It was a great experience.”
Sara, Opera Trunk Parent
Personal Statement
As a performing artist, I believe in the power of music to enrich lives and connect a community in a meaningful way. To this end, my job as a performer is to bring to life the music’s message, spoken from the heart, through sound and performance. The purpose of my lifelong vocal training is to develop the necessary technique, mechanics of singing, which allows me to perform freely and enables the audience to listen not only with their ears, but also with their hearts.
As an educator, I believe in authenticity and take seriously the responsibility to guide students through music to their own experience of emotion, openness, and the infinite possibilities of creative expression found through music, which ultimately inspires many life experiences.
In the words of poet Theodore Roethke, “I learn by going where I have to go.” In the world of opera, this often means literally traveling across state or stage, but also diving deep into an artistic endeavor and doing whatever it takes to find resonance and meaning.