Hope Sears

• Awards:
• NATS FL Gold Coast Chapter Auditions 2nd place undergraduate, classical voice, 2024
• Georgina Dieter Dennis Foundation Scholarship, Voice recipient, 2021
• UM Frost Presidential Scholarship Voice recipient, 2021
• Palm Beach Post Pathfinder Award 1st place, voice category, 2021
• NATS FL Gold Coast Chapter Auditions 1st place upper high school, classical voice, 2020
• Highlights:
• Sang as Carmen in Frost Opera scenes; “Night in the Next Whiskey Bar," Miami, FL, 2023
• Performed the role of Mrs. Olsen in Street Scene at Varna International, 2023
• Performed the role of Barbarina in Frost Opera Production's Le nozze di Figaro, Miami, FL, 2023
• Performed the role of Mércèdes in Carmen at Varna International, 2022

Hope is a talented Mezzo-soprano singer from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. She is currently studying vocal performance under Sandra Lopez Neill at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, where she has been awarded a prestigious four-year Presidential Scholarship. Her dream is to perform opera professionally, and she is eager to continue her vocal studies at the graduate level to achieve this goal.

Singing since the age of 12, Hope has grown a deep passion for performing. She developed a vocal foundation focussing on folk, art song, and classical music, performing in both choral groups and solo recitals. In high school, Hope studied as a vocal major at the A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts. During this time, she also spent three enriching years in the Palm Beach Opera Studio, where she gained valuable experience and training in both performance and arts administration.

Hope has further honed her skills by participating in esteemed summer programs such as Artsbridge Artsong, the Boston Conservatory Vocal Choral Institute (VCI), and the Varna International Festival. These opportunities have significantly contributed to her growth as a singer and performer. Her operatic repertoire includes roles such as Mercedes in Bizet’s Carmen, Barbarina in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, the Second Lay Sister in Puccini’s Suor Angelica, and Mrs. Olsen and Salvation Army Girl 2 in Kurt Weill’s Street Scene.

Hope has received numerous awards, including 1st place in the high school division and 2nd place in the college undergraduate division of the NATS Gold Coast competition. She also won the 1st place Palm Beach Post Vocal Pathfinder Award and has been a three-time finalist in the Schmidt Vocal Competition in Florida.

This summer, Hope will participate in the Frost Salzburg Program, where she will further her studies in both German language and classical voice. She is passionate about sharing her love of music with others and looks forward to the next steps in her musical journey.