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Raven McMillon, Soprano Opera Singer

Hitting the High Notes

Raven McMillon’s (CFA 2017) voice is described as crisp, silvery, radiant, and voluminous.

In 2021, these qualities earned her a spot as a winner of the prestigious Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition — a contest that recognizes emerging artists.

Raven is now taking on leading roles, including Gilda in “Rigoletto” with both Opera Philadelphia and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Pamina in “Die Zauberflöte” with Des Moines Metro Opera and Welsh National Opera, and the eponymous Lucia in “Lucia di Lammermoor” with Cincinnati Opera. Among other roles, she was featured as Frasquita in “Carmen” and Gretel in “Hansel and Gretel” with the Houston Grand Opera, where she was a member of their training program from 2020-2022.

“Opera roles are about transforming,” Raven says. “It’s finding a life on stage that stems from the music, costumes, set and situations your character is put into. It’s fun for me to live the character’s life for a few hours and to share that transformation with the audience.”

The most famous operatic roles have been around for several hundred years. Raven’s talent lands her those parts, but she’s equally passionate about the lesser-known works being composed today that offer a fresh take on a classic vocal artform.

“New works range from super light and fun, to heavy topics such as social justice, race and equality,” Raven says. “As opera singers and especially as singers of color, there’s importance in singing opera not just for the entertainment but also for the ability to teach an audience or to share a true story. The political provocativeness of some older operas are generally lost on modern audiences, but the new works that are being mounted provide the same thing for us today.”

Story by Elizabeth Speed