UCA grad finds success in opera

When the celebrated tenor and director of the Washington National Opera Placido Domingo heard Micaela Oeste sing, he was, to put it indelicately, knocked for a loop. Almost immediately he tapped the young Conway singer for stardom, recently signing her to a 2-year contract with the opera company and readying her for a performance at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Sept. 13.

It has been a meteoric rise in the world of opera for the University of Central Arkansas graduate, the daughter of UCA professor Wolfgang and Patty Oeste, both of whom are noted for their musicality.

"She feels honored to receive this opportunity," said Oeste of her 26-year-old daughter who became habituated in the world of music as a child listening to her mother's operatic voice and the brilliant sounds that emerged during her piano and organ recitals.

When her mom and dad performed in operatic venues in Germany years ago, tiny Micaela was backstage drinking in the essence of the music and cultivating her own musical character.

Even in her playpen days, Micaela became acquainted with the loveliness of music as her mother's voice filled the air.

Today after years of work, she has developed a sense of technical assurance rare for a singer of her tender years. The sounds floating from her translate into full confidence in her voice. There is a kind of beguiling quality in the way she performs, her voice being described as a lyrical coloratura soprano.

During her performance at the Kennedy Center, Micaela will sing the role of Annina, servant girl to Violetta in Verdi's opera "La Traviata." Ravishing melodies, sumptuous costumes and gorgeous choruses abound in the romantic opera about the sacrifice of true love.

The word filtering down to Conway is that while M. Oeste is elated, excited and honored by her opportunity, she nevertheless is looking with more than cursory interest to the gala following the opera where Caroline Kennedy and other celebs and also members of the Italian Legation will be in attendance.

"She knows how tough the competition is," Oeste said. "She's such a hard worker but she knows that there are others who work just as hard.

She studied French horn and received her first scholarship in the instrument from the University of Oklahoma, but eventually her love for singing became paramount, even though she excelled as a horn player. She studied voice in Oklahoma but decided to return to Conway and enjoy the opportunity to study under her father, who is an associate professor of voice and opera.

Following gradation from UCA, she matriculated at Northwestern University, graduating with a master's degree in voice. Her credits include performances with the Chicago Opera Theater, Santa Barbara Opera and other venues.

Her ascent in the musical world comes as no surprise to her parents. "She heard her first opera when she was three weeks old," her mother said, recalling the family's salad days of singing with an infant in tow. "I'm holding her and my husband is singing 'Madame Butterfly; I would take her to rehearsals with us when she was three and she would sit and listen for hours, and as she grew up, music stayed with her and she became acclimated to opera."

The future holds much promise for her, now that she has become better known and her singing has captivated listeners. She aspires to work at the Metropolitan Opera Company in New York. She now has an agent working in her behalf.

"She wants to be fully employed; she wants to sing for the rest of her life," her mother exclaims.

Keeping a vigilant eye on his sister's career is Andreas, 17, who is a skilled musician in his own right, playing oboe and cello. Most recently, he attended workshops at Interlocken in Michigan and played with the noted World Youth Symphony where he made his mark.

"He lives and breaths music, and he is a wonderful composer, spending hours on end composing music," his mother reveals.

"At the moment he is working on a concerto for cello and orchestra. He also composes music for the guitar since he loves the guitar too," Oeste said almost incredulously. "And he also is the principal oboist for the Arkansas Youth Symphony Orchestra."

Oeste, in addition to serving as organist at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, is a teacher at Ruth Doyle Intermediate School where she teaches general music and sixth grade choir for the school's 750 students. Hers is an interactive classroom where all types of music are performed. She is proud of being the first national board certified teacher of music in Conway.

Before that she taught music at Ida Burns Elementary School for 10 years.

Oeste is associate professor of voice and opera at UCA, teaching students on a one-to-one performance schedule. He has a doctorate in music and is the possessor of an outstanding singing voice. He has been at UCA since 1990.