A collaborative effort with Loyola University of New Orleans – College of Music and Fine Arts and Preparatory Program, Newcomb Department of Music, Tulane University, and the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts.
Any Louisiana high school Sophomore, Junior, or Senior vocalist in the academic year of 2021-2022 may apply.
Kenya Lawrence Jackson currently serves as the Director of Music and Worship at St. Timothy United Methodist Church in Mandeville, LA where her duties include coordinating a large and diverse music program. She conducts the much anticipated, Christmas on the Northshore concerts, showcasing the talents of the 100-voice St. Timothy Choir and the Northshore Orchestra, an ensemble of over 40 local musicians. Additionally, she created, produces and directs the annual Of Thee I Sing patriotic celebration each Memorial Day weekend.
Kenya is also the newly appointed Director of the Northlake Performing Arts Society, an auditioned community choir whose purpose is to enhance and enrich the cultural life on the Northshore by using choral music as a catalyst to embrace and promote other art forms.
Kenya also enjoys performing and is currently the Principal Soprano with New Orleans based opera company Opera Créole. She was last seen as Mother Juliette Gaudin in the award-winning original production of Les Lions de le Reconstruction. She also sang the title role in the award-nominated production of Treemonisha and also helped make Opera Créole history in the title role of Flamenca in the award-winning La Flamenca.
Kenya has also produced many children’s theater productions, including Seussical the Musical, Alice in Wonderland, and Godspell Jr, in addition to several original productions.
A native of Hammond, LA., Ms. Jackson, holds a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Southern Methodist University and a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Southeastern Louisiana University, where she was recognized with the James Wilcox Award for Outstanding senior. She currently studies with LSU Professor, Dr. Lorraine Sims.
Valerie Anne Jones Francis is a native of New Orleans and a proud product of the New Orleans Public School System. She is a 1979 graduate of McDonogh #35 where she studied under the capable tutelage of Mrs. Patricia Sallier Seals. She holds the B.A., M.M., and D.M.A. in Vocal Music Education/Performance from Dillard University, (Dr. S. Carver Davenport), the University of New Orleans, (Dr. Raquel Cortina) and the University of Oklahoma, (the late Dr. Thomas Devore Carey), respectively. She also attended American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria. She was one of the first recipients of the Carol Brice Carey Scholarship.
In 1994, she represented the Gulf Coast Region for the National Council Auditions at the Metropolitan Opera, in New York. Roles to her credit include, Aida, Bess, Serena, Magda, Donna Anna, Donna Elvira, Musetta, Madame Euterpova, Madama Butterfly, Micaela, Carmen and Marschillin with the University of New Orleans Opera Theater, Cimarron Circuit Opera Company, Shreveport Opera and New York Opera Studio. She made her debut with New Orleans Opera as the Strawberry Woman and Soprano I Prayer Soloist, in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess in October 2010 and returned as Inez in Il Trovatore in April 2011. In 2013, she sang the role of Leonie in a premiere concert performance of a newly commissioned opera, entitled, Freedom Ride, by Dan Shore. She has also appeared as guest soloist with the Dallas Symphony, American Institute of Musical Studies, the Louisiana Philharmonic and Jefferson Performing Arts Society Orchestras. With Opera Creole she performed the roles of Piquita (Flamenca) by Charles Lucien Lambert, Treemonisha (Treemonisha) by Scott Joplin and Trolla (Thelma), by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.
Dr. Francis continues to present concerts with Dr. Wilfred Delphin, some of which have included Benefit Concerts for AIDS Relief in Zambia in Carbondale, Illinois and Sundays at Three Afternoon Recitals Series, in Memory of Alpha Brawner Floyd at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library in Memphis, Tennessee, Trinity Artist Series, MOJA, and Piccolo Spoleto Festivals.
Dr. Francis has also represented the United States as one of three judges for the X, XVI, and XVII Concurso Internacional Canto Lirico, an international vocal competition in Trujillo, Peru, where she presented master classes and recitals and served as Presidente de los Jueces in 2012 and 2015. One very proud moment during her time in Trujillo last year was that her 17-year-old daughter, Imani Sarai Francis, shared the stage in concert for an international audience. Her international travels in 2015 also included San Jose and Terrialbo, Costa Rica.
Dr. Francis and Dr. Delphin have also presented and premiered original and arranged vocal works by local artists/composers of New Orleans to include the works of Roger Dickerson, Ellis Marsalis and Moses Hogan.
As musical director of “Voices of Purpose”, she premiered “Water Too High Bones too Low” by Hannibal Lokumbe. In 2013, Dr. Francis performed Camille Nickerson’s Creole lullaby, entitled Fais Do Do, orchestrated by Hale Smith with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra; she was honored to serve as guest soloist for the swearing in ceremony of Chief Justice Bernette Johnson, the Lawyers for Civil Rights Under the Law, 50th Anniversary of Higginbotham Corporate Leadership Award Dinner, in 2013 and the 50th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday in Selma, AL, 2015. She has also shared her talent as guest soloist for Rosa Parks, Shirley Chisholm, Marian Wright Edelman, Jessie Jackson, “Daddy” King, Dick Gregory, and other notable historic figures.
Dr. Francis also sings annually as guest soloist for the National Baptist Convention of America and various church denominations throughout our city and nation. She has presented concerts with New Orleans greats to include E. Dwight Franklin, Rev. Thomas Brown, Timothy Ray, Warren Williams, the late Moses G. Hogan, Albinas Prizgintas and others. Dr. Francis is also a member of One-A-Chord Gospel Ensemble under the direction of Mrs. Betty Winn.
Dr. Francis also serves as Executive Artistic Director of “The Patriotic Project Statewide Youth Chorus”, an interactive, music empowerment program providing youth an opportunity to be exposed to several forms of creative arts. This program also allows children from various backgrounds to come together, transcending race, economic, and cultural differences to form a diverse group of singers and performers who have volunteered their voices and hearts to show the strength and beauty of unity in a patriotic project to remind America that we are ALL Americans!
Dr. Francis currently serves as Assistant Professor of Vocal Music Education at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, LA, Executive Artistic Director of Opera Programs, Founder and Executive Artistic Director for the Celebration of the Negro Spiritual Concert Series and Nicholls State University Gospel Choir. She currently serves as Minister of Music at her home church, Free Mission Baptist Church, where her father, Reverend Johnny Jones, Jr. serves as pastor.
Dr. Francis continues to perform locally, nationally and internationally.
Her favorite bible verse is: I CAN Do all things through Jesus Christ that strengthens me. Philippians 4:13
Her Motto is: DARE TO BE DIFFERENT!
Her Life goal is to live so that the Lord can use me!
Frank Convit described as singing with the “poignant power of a seasoned soloist” (Richard Balthazar Blog), has been captivating audiences with his rich timbre and ringing high notes. In March of 2020, Frank made his Midwest debut with Heartland Opera Theatre as Marco in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi. Earlier that year, Frank also made his New Orleans Opera debut as Loreé a wounded soldier in Tchaikovsky’s Joan of Arc (Maid of Orleans). He regularly performs in the New Orleans Opera touring show Little Red Riding Hood as the Big Bad Wolf. In 2019, Frank performed as Pandolfe in the Loyola Opera Theater production of Massenet’s Cendrillon. Before that, Frank performed as Raphael/Adam in Haydn’s Creation with Tulane Choir and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, the baritone soloist in Mozart’s Requiem with the Cornish-American Song Institute and Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder with the Consortium Novum Orchestra. In 2018, Frank performed as Pablo Picasso in Tom Cipullo’s Afterlife with the Loyola Opera Theater for the National Opera Association Convention in January, and the Jailor and Marquis de la Force in Dialogues of the Carmelites with Loyola Opera Theater in March. In 2017, Frank performed as the baritone soloist for Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on Christmas Carols with the New Orleans Volunteer Orchestra, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte in Toronto, CA with the Toronto Summer Opera. Prior to his performance in Canada, he performed as the baritone soloist in The Letter Quintet from Sweeney Todd with New Orleans Opera.
Frank earned his Master of Music Performance Degree from Loyola where he studied voice with mezzo-soprano Luretta Bybee in 2019. Frank earned his Bachelor’s Degree of Music from Loyola University New Orleans in 2015. In 2016, he performed as Sid from Albert Herring and Morales from Carmen with Spotlight on Opera in Texas. Frank performed in multiple recitals with the Cornish-American Song Institute in 2015 and 2018 at St. Anne’s College at the University of Oxford and the Royal Cornwall Polytechnic Society. Frank is an active member of the New Orleans Opera Chorus under the expertise of Carol Rausch. He is a regular at Opera On Tap and can also be heard as section leader and soloist at St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church.
