Bethany Worrell, UMSL’s new director of vocal studies and an assistant professor of voice, performs with UMSL Symphony Orchestra, University Singers, Vocal Point, and JEFFCO and STLCC Meramec choirs under the direction of David Wacyk at the Department of Music’s fall festival on Oct. 29 at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. (Photo by Derik Holtmann)

Bethany Worrell has been studying singing for two-thirds of her life.

As a kid, her parents put her in children’s musical theater as a way to express herself and make friends, and she’s been taking private lessons since she was 12 years old. Over the past decade, she’s performed as a classical soprano in dozens of operatic, recital, concert and choral performances in Boston, New York City and Dallas. 

“Singing is definitely my passion,” she said. “It’s my focus, my passion, my love. It’s definitely a core part of me.”

Now, as the new director of vocal studies and an assistant professor of voice in the Department of Music at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, Worrell is sharing that love with the next generation of singers. As the new full-time voice professor on faculty, Worrell runs the department’s solo voice program and teaches voice lessons in collaboration with three adjunct voice professors and two collaborative pianists. She also runs a weekly voice studio class for all voice students, a laboratory-style class where she workshops student performances and covers topics such as vocal health, vocal techniques and the use of acting and emotions in performance.

Worrell’s new position also involves directing the Singing Actor’s Workshop ensemble, a training and performance course for vocal artists. Next spring, the workshop will be presenting “A Grand Night for Singing,” a one-act musical theater revue of songs by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Auditions for the performance will be held in December, and Worrell stresses that they’re open to students of any major. After participating in upwards of 40 shows herself, it will be her first time directing a show, and she’s excited to both train students in stage skills and present the work to the UMSL community audience.

Worrell’s dual roles combine her longtime love of singing with her passion for teaching, having previously taught at Western Illinois University, North Cambridge Family Opera and the University of Michigan, where she earned her doctorate in voice performance earlier this year. With a background in arts administration and as an administrative assistant in business, she enjoys planning and organizing, so she was drawn to the opportunity to lead the solo vocal curriculum and student experience at UMSL.

“So far, it has been very rewarding and a dream to craft the vision for the solo vocal area going forward, with the wisdom and help of my colleagues in the Department of Music,” Worrell said.

This academic year began with a few changes to the voice curriculum in the Department of Music. The department will be offering lyric diction classes during the first year of vocal study, for instance, and will also place a greater emphasis on sight-reading and professional skills such as writing program notes. The Department of Music is also expanding what the repertoire could look like for a modern singer to include jazz, opera and musical theater, in addition to classical repertoire.

As a longtime performer, Worrell hopes she can serve as a firsthand example to her students in this regard by showing them the full breadth of possibility for their own future careers. On Oct. 29, she performed with the UMSL Symphony Orchestra during the annual Fall Festival at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center. She will return to Dallas in December to perform with the Orpheus Chamber Singers, and on March 22 she’ll be performing Johannes Brahms’ “A German Requiem” with The Bach Society of Saint Louis Chorus and Orchestra. In addition to fulfilling her own passion, she believes it’s a valuable experience for her students to see her perform.

“The really great thing about the academic position at UMSL is that performing is part of my job as a professor,” Worrell said. “I perform as a soloist, I perform with a professional choir, I do recital work, and students can see that  singing a variety of music is the norm for a professional vocalist. My main medium is classical music, but I do sing a little jazz from time to time for fun. As a singer, you don’t have to do one thing; versatility is going to make you hirable. Music is a job that should feel fulfilling; especially because it is about making art. I’m very proud of the work the voice students are doing; the changes students have made in just the first few months of school are incredible, and it’s very joyful to work with them and see them succeed.”