APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A Lawrence University assistant professor of opera has won a national award.
Kristin Roach won the 2023 American Prize in Conducting in the Opera and Music Theater Division for her work conducting four 2022 performances of “Suor Angelica.”
The production was Lawrence’s first full, in-person opera production following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As much as it’s nice to win prizes, that’s not why we do what we do,” Roach said. “I really appreciate the growth that happens with our students—the singers, the players, the people behind the scenes. Opera is a giant team sport. And it’s really gratifying to know that what we’re doing here at Lawrence is on the level of what’s being done by the best programs all over the country. I find that really rewarding, and it’s a wonderful gift we can give to our students, who will be going on to whatever the next phase of their careers might be. I love that they can take this award-winning experience with them.”
Roach’s honor comes on the heels of Director of Opera Studies Copeland Woodruff being selected as a 2023 Honored Artist of The American Prize earlier this summer—a nod to “sustained excellence” over multiple years. Lawrence’s opera program also was selected as a semifinalist in the Collegiate Opera Performance Division and Woodruff was named a semifinalist for the Charles Nelson Reilly Prize for Stage Directors.
The American Prize annually hands out awards of excellence in the performing arts among nonprofit arts organizations and schools across the country.
Roach joined the Lawrence faculty in 2020.
