Laura Carskadden, a mezzo soprano, recognized the capacity for music to reach others across cultures and languages when she travelled to Prague, Czech Republic. She studied abroad the spring of 2017 with the High Point University Chamber Choir. The choir travelled through Central Europe performing at various venues including Thomas Church in Leipzig, Germany (Bach’s church) and St. Michael Church in Mondsee, Austria (the church that The Sound of Music wedding is based on). It was through that experience that Ms. Carskadden decided to pursue a career of music and opera to achieve connection to people with whom she would have never been able to communicate.

Ms. Carskadden received a taste of music’s ability to connect people when she travelled to San Jose, Costa Rica through the Young Artists Program. She perform the role of Women 2 in Songs for a New World October of 2016 at Teatro Eugene O’Neill for many people who did not understand English.  Once she decided to become a professional musician, she pursued many summer young artist programs that fostered human connection across cultures. These programs include Boston Conservatory at Berklee in Valencia, Spain, where she sang Jo in the “Final Quartet” from Little Women by Mark Adamo and Third Spirit in “Bald prangt, den Morgen zu verkünden” from Die Zauberflote by Mozart, the summer of 2019 and Patti and Allen Herbert Frost School of Music in Salzburg, Austria, where she performed in a few art song recitals, the summer of 2018.

Laura Carskadden also participated in other programs far from home (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), but still in the United States. These included the Midwest Institute of Opera at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois, where she understudied for Prince Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus by Strauss and sang ensemble in La boheme by Puccini, the summer of 2019 and SongFest in Los Angeles at the Colburn School, where she performed in a few art song recitals, the summer of 2018.

Laura Carskadden has also performed professionally as ensemble in Norma by Bellini with the North Carolina Opera in October of 2018 though she is still a student perfecting her craft.  She received her bachelor of arts in Vocal Performance and bachelor of science in Psychology at High Point University and is currently pursuing her master in music at the Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy.  She studied the role of Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte by Mozart in the fall of 2020 and sang the role of Juno in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld as well as various other opera scenes for the Utah Vocal Arts Academy summer festival the summer of 2021.  She also sang the role of the Mother in Earth to Kenzie by Frances Pollock in October 2021. She loves being a student and learning about the science and psychology behind singing and music.

Laura Carskadden is also preparing to sing Dolcina and cover Badessa from Suor Angelica by Puccini with Bel Canto in Tuscany and sing John Styx and cover Orpheus from Orpheus in the Underworld by Offenbach with Hawaii Performing Arts Festival for the summer of 2022.  She is interested in the science and psychology behind singing and music and is currently exploring research surrounding gender based implicit bias and opera. She is not only an advocate for providing more treble voice roles in general but also better women representation in the stories told by operas, which is why she loved to represent a young, strong, working mother to a young girl who loves video games in Earth to Kenzie and is excited to break the mold and prepare John Styx and Orpheus, originally written for a baritone and tenor.