DR. BELINDA ANDREWS-SMITH

https://provost.tulane.edu/andrews-smith-belinda

Dr. Belinda Andrews-Smith, the current director of Opera at Purdue University Fort Wayne, has held faculty positions at Tulane University and Denison University. Throughout her academic career, she has directed over 45 productions of musicals and opera/operetta. In 2024, Andrews-Smith was honored by the American Prize, receiving the national first-place prize for stage direction for her Tulane production of the musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood. In addition to directing, Dr. Andrews-Smith is an innovative voice teacher. Her extensive knowledge of musical theater and classical singing styles enhances the experiences of her actors both on stage and in the classroom. She has presented her research on Musical Theatre Voice and Mentoring in the Voice Professions at national conferences for the National Association of Teachers of Singing and the Musical Theatre Educators’ Alliance. Former students of Dr. Andrews-Smith have won awards at state and national musical theatre singing competitions, work as commercial music recording artists, and perform on and off Broadway.

JEFFREY SPRINGER

https://www.lombardoassociates.org/jeffrey-springer

Tenor Jeffrey Springer has earned international acclaim for his powerful performances across Europe and North America, gracing stages such as the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Florida Grand Opera, Angers-Nantes Opéra, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Manitoba Opera, Deutsches Nationaltheater Mannheim, Oper Krefeld-Mönchengladbach, Staatsoper Saxony-Anhalt, National Touring Opera of the Netherlands, Opera Siam, and Teatro de Navarra, among others. His vocal artistry has been heard with premier orchestras, including the San Francisco Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Houston Symphony, Grand Teton Music Festival, Florida Orchestra, Philharmonia Hungaria, Romanian State Symphony, the Bolshoi Opera Orchestra in Carnegie Hall, and singing Tony in a staged concert of West Side Story for German television.

Springer's international career began when he won the "José Carreras Prize for the Best Tenor Voice," awarded by the legendary tenor himself. This accolade led to his European debut, in which he stepped in for Carreras in a televised performance of Verdi's Requiem with the Deutsche Oper Düsseldorf. The tenor’s operatic repertoire showcases his versatility in demanding roles, including the title role in Samson et Dalila (Dublin International Opera Festival, San Francisco Opera), Tristan in Tristan und Isolde (Lyric Opera of Chicago, conducted by Sir Andrew Davis), Calaf in Turandot, Don José in Carmen, Otello in Verdi's Otello, and over one hundred performances around the world as Manrico in Verdi's Il Trovatore. Creator of the role of Sacco in the world premiere of Anton Coppola's Sacco and Vanzetti, he reprised it at the composer's 100th birthday celebration. This historic event, conducted by the centenarian composer, was televised on PBS.

Beyond performing, Dr. Springer is an award-winning educator and scholar who has recently joined the faculty of the renowned University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music. Sought out as a frequent master teacher, adjudicator, and speaker, he shares his expertise in voice and opera, enriching the next generation of artists while maintaining a vibrant international career.