Theatre major and music minor Patrick Scully ’12 was recently awarded two prestigious post-Davidson opportunities to pursue his passion for opera performance.
Born in New York City, Patrick moved to Tokyo, Japan with his family when he was two years old. At age thirteen, he and his family moved to Switzerland, from where Patrick graduated from high school. He then decided to come back to the United States to continue his education.
After coming to Davidson, Patrick quickly integrated himself into the arts community at the college. In accordance with his sincere interest in theatre, Patrick took advantage of all the opportunities offered to him through the theatre department at Davidson. In addition to his academic classwork, he has performed in numerous productions, including The Little Fixes, Kokoro, Galileo, and several one-acts. He also stage managed for a recent production of Metamorphosis.
In pure liberal arts fashion, Patrick’s love for music and opera also flourished during his time at Davidson. During his time here, Patrick has been an invaluable member and student leader in the Davidson College Chorale, a highly selective group of singers. He performs regularly as a soloist, and served as a critical cast member in our opera workshops, taking on the roles as the Sargent in The Pirates of Penzance and Figaro in The Marriage of Figaro. Patrick also competed twice against others of our most talented singers to perform with both the Jazz Ensemble and the Symphony Orchestra. He studied voice all four years, and began taking lessons with Artist Associate Jacqueline Culpepper his sophomore year. Culpepper cultivated Patrick’s already highly impressive bass voice and encouraged him to think deeply about the possibility of a vocal career. Basses of Patrick’s quality are few and far between, which would allow him a uniqueness that, combined with intense passion and dedication, could make a career as an opera singer feasible. While Patrick’s commendable theatrical talents and academic background could afford him a successful career in other arts positions, Patrick decided in the fall of his senior year to pursue a career as a professional opera singer.
Patrick will further his opera studies this summer in Mairoi, Campania, Italy. He will participate in the Amalfi Cost Music and Arts Summer Festival, where he will sing the role of Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte. According to the literature about Amalfi, the program is “more than a series of concerts, [it] is a Chautauqua-style social experiment in the arts on an international level. The festival is a vibrant community that brings together performing artists, visual artists, writers and poets, students, teachers, and music aficionados from different countries to interact and learn from each other while involved in the creative process.”
Patrick also received a top scholarship at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, where he will pursue fulfilling his undergraduate degree in vocal performance in the fall. Culpepper is convinced Patrick will excel at N.C. School of the Arts, where a student's professional potential serves as their utmost criteria for admission. Patrick will receive credit for the extensive work he has completed at Davidson, thanks to the highly professional standards of our theatre and music departments. Culpepper has the highest respect for the theatre department and feels that Patrick’s theatre background will prepare him well to enter the stage world of opera. Artist Associates in Voice always encourage their students to enroll in theatre classes such as movement and acting, which they feel greatly enhance all of their students' performances. Patrick, too, has felt that the overlap and continually cooperative efforts of the theatre and music departments has allowed him to shape his own education and pursue his passions as they were recognized.
After Patrick completes the requirements for the undergraduate degree in vocal performance from N.C. School of the Arts, he is considering staying on to complete the masters-level opera program. Regardless, Davidson is thrilled at Patrick’s successes and remains thankful for his many contributions to the arts community at Davidson. We also appreciate his reminder to us that a liberal arts education creates a unique collaborative environment wherein a student can explore their many interests and discover their life’s passion.
