While in high school, her first professional performance was soprano

 

soloist with The Youngstown Philharmonic Chorus under the direction of

 

maestro John Krueger, conductor, The Youngstown Philharmonic

 

Orchestra (now The Youngstown Symphony)

 

 

 

Also during her high school years, was co-soprano soloist with

 

her mother, Odessa Lanier, in the Dunbar Choral Club of Youngstown

 

under the leadership of Mr. Nathaniel Lee.

 

 

 

Was on full voice scholarship during her undergraduate years at The

 

Cleveland Institute of Music , and was chosen to be soprano soloist for The

 

National Presbyterian Women's Conference at Purdue University, the end

 

of her sophomore year.

 

Was the voice student of George Vassos, at CIM.

 

 

 

She won the National Mu Phi Epsilon Scholarship and worked with

 

noted soprano, Adele Addison at the Aspen School of Music in

 

Colorado, the end of her junior year at The Cleveland Institute of Music.

 

 

 

While a student at CIM, studied violin with virtuoso violinist, Georgio

 

Ciompi, played with the Cleveland Institute Orchestra and was a member

 

of the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus, under the direction of the foremost

 

choral director, Robert Shaw.  The  chorus sang regularly with The

 

Cleveland Orchestra under the baton of the distinguished maestro,

 

George Szell.

 

 

 

With the highest voice scholarship in graduate school at New England

 

Conservatory of Music, also received multiple voice fellowships to the

 

Tanglewood Music Festival, (then called

 

The Berkshire Music Center) summer home of The Boston Symphony

 

Orchestra.  

 

Coached with Metropolitan Opera soprano, Phyllis Curtin, and was

 

selected to solo with the Boston Symphony Orchestra by the acclaimed

 

maestro, Erich Leinsdorf,  conductor of The BSO. 

 

 

A few years later, won a Young Artist Award to sing with The Lake George

 

(N.Y.) Opera Company.

 

 

Received two successive Ford Venture Opera Grants to sing and study  at

 

The American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria.

 

 

Made her distinct mark in the classical music world by becoming one

 

of very few self piano accompanists for her dynamic voice recitals,

 

presented throughout the country.