Lara Brooks

Style: Pop; Opera; Jazz; Folk; Rock; Classical; Musical Theatre

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Title: Lecturer of Voice

Bio:

Dr. Lara Semetko-Brooks serves as a Lecturer of Voice at The Ohio State University where she maintains a private voice studio utilizing healthy crossover singing through Classical, Musical Theatre, and CCM voice. She also coaches the vocalists working with the various OSU Big Bands, Jazz Combos, and The OSU Show Band on healthy jazz singing and style and frequently music directs / stage directs both opera and musical theatre. As an Estill Figure Proficiency teacher, she is currently an Estill Master Trainer-Candidate and hopes to complete her certification by August 2023. Dr. Brooks hold her Doctor of Musical Arts in Jazz Studies and her Masters in Classical Vocal Performance and Literature from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and a Bachelor's of Music Education: Choral Emphasis & a Bachelor's of Music, Vocal Performance, cum laude from Central Michigan University.

Dr. Brooks is a soprano who is known for her unforgettable quality on the stage, no matter what the venue or style of the performance. Comfortable in both opera & musical theatre, she has performed in a variety of roles, such as Tytania in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Poppea in L'incoronazione di Poppea, Eurydice in Orpheus in the Underworld, Lilli Vanessi / Kate in Kiss Me, Kate, Belle in Disney's Beauty and the Beast, & Clara Johnson in The Light in the Piazza, to name a few, and has been the soprano soloist for Bach's Cantata 147, Vivaldi's Gloria and Faure's Requiem. Upcoming roles include Rosalie Mullins in School of Rock with CCT. As an avid recitalist, Dr. Semetko-Brooks has performed in multiple venues, both home and abroad. With her husband, saxophonist Dr. Robert Brooks, they presented a recital of American Musical Theatre and Jazz at The Mozarthaus in Vienna, Austria, in August 2022. Dr. Brooks is highly involved in community outreach, seeking opportunities to introduce, educate, and perform the works of various composers, specifically new American music, to a wider audience. This includes presenting lectures and recitals on the works by Lori Laitman, Gwyneth Walker, Griffin Candey, Goldrich & Heisler, among others.

As a contemporary voice specialist, Dr. Brooks frequently presents workshops regarding flexible voice technique and cross-training of vocalists. Sessions ranging from “Crossing Genres: A Classical Singer’s Guide to Jazz”, "Find Your Swing!", “I’m Not Singing Opera Today”, to “Healthy Belting Techniques for Classical Singers” have been presented at The International Congress of Voice Teachers in 2022 & 2017, The National Association of Teachers of Singing, Kansas Music Education Association, Jazz Education Network, SHSU Art Song Festival, and to universities and high schools nationwide.

Voice Type: Soprano

Music Styles Taught: Pop; Opera; Jazz; Folk; Rock; Classical; Musical Theatre

Availability: I am available as a performer; I have a wait-list for private lessons; I am available as a clinician or presenter; I accept students through a college or university program

Contact Information

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