NC Georgia News

Carrollton Junior High School recently issued the following announcement.

Class of 2013 alum's future is bright in world of opera In this ongoing series, we reach out to CHS alumni to learn what they are doing now that they have the advantage of experience, education and self-reflection. This month’s pick is Greer Lyle, Class of 2013. The main entrance of Carrollton High School features a mural of “The Phantom of the Opera,” prominently featuring Greer, who played the Phantom’s love interest Christine her senior year. She has since continued to pursue a career as an operatic soprano, taking an educational route a little different than most aspiring performers. 

EDUCATIONAL PURSUITS:  After graduating from CHS in 2013, Greer pursued a bachelor’s degree at Georgia State University for vocal performance with scholarship funds. Her route was fairly traditional until her brother passed away in 2016, which led her to “spending a year full of failed academic pursuits. I took a gap year in 2017 before returning to continue my studies. In my gap year, I decided to apply the level of schooling I had received to that point toward an audition season for professional opera companies, and I began my professional career after landing my first contract with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis for the 2018 summer festival season.” Greer then returned to Georgia State in 2018 for one year before she was scouted by the Yale School of Music to join the opera program there on full scholarship and stipend to pursue a Certificate in Performance degree. “This is a graduate degree that will convert into a master’s in music upon completion of my bachelor’s degree. I am graduating from Yale this May, 2022, with my Certificate in Performance, and I plan to finish my bachelor’s online while working.” 

EMPLOYMENT: Throughout undergraduate schooling, Greer was a staff singer/soprano soloist at All Saints' Episcopal Church, worked as a freelance classical singer, and taught private music lessons in Atlanta. She also worked extensively at the Carrollton Center for the Arts teaching lessons and music directing children's theater programs. In 2018, she began her professional opera career as a Gerdine Young Artist with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. “There, I was awarded a Gaddes Career Award and invitation to return for the 2019 festival season. Since moving to Connecticut, I currently work as a voice teacher to undergraduate students at Yale, and I am a staff singer/soprano soloist at the Congregational Church of New Canaan, CT. I also work freelance as a soprano soloist in and around New York City, and I will join Opera North this summer, July 2022, as a resident artist.” 

PERSONAL: “I love my family dearly and try to visit as often as I can. I look forward to our "Lylesgiving" thanksgiving trip every year and I enjoy spending time with my nieces and nephews. I’m incredibly proud of my brother, Ian, for serving Carrollton High School as principal and his wife, Brandi, for teaching at Carrollton Elementary.”  

HOBBIES: “I love to spend time outside hiking, kayaking, and camping. I love to take my dog, Willow, on beach walks and kayaking adventures. When I'm home in Georgia, I love to spend time with family and ride horses. I enjoy cooking interesting foods, working out, and traveling. My last big trip was Maine to hike in Acadia National Park, and my next adventure I'm planning is a horse trek in Mongolia!”

PROFESSIONAL ASPIRATIONS: “My current career goal is to perform full-time as an operatic soprano. In opera, singers are considered ‘young artists’ until they are 30, as the voice takes a long time to fully develop to the demands of opera and can endure changes in your late 20s, and often perform as resident singers for opera companies. I am currently in the process of lining up employment as a resident artist, and hope to eventually perform in a few years as a mainstage artist at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City and on European opera stages. In the United States, opera singers are considered freelance artists, so our schedules are always evolving and changing. I love that aspect of my career as I am always learning, evolving, and growing in my artistry while tackling new projects. I have been taking theater management classes while at Yale, and I would love to work in development for an arts nonprofit at some point in my life.” 

PERSONAL ASPIRATIONS: “I hope to eventually have a family of my own, continue to place God at the center of my life, and never lose my love for enjoying all the beautiful things this life has to offer.” 

MANY WHO PURSUE THE PERFORMING ARTS ATTEND SCHOOLS ESPECIALLY KNOWN FOR THAT PURPOSE. INSTEAD YOU CHOSE GEORGIA STATE. WHY? “Attending a school in Georgia allowed me to take advantage of the Hope Scholarship along with the scholarships the institution offered. Their opera program is audition-based, meaning undergraduate and graduate students were considered for roles in productions based on merit rather than education level, so I was able to begin performing mainstage roles by the second half of my freshman year and gained double the experience a larger arts institution would offer a young undergraduate. Atlanta is a massive arts hub that allowed me to perform extra gigs and concerts while in school and through school. As a member of  the Georgia State University Singers, I performed with Andrea Bocelli twice for thousands of people, and I was able to travel to Germany and Austria for a choir competition that we won! Lastly, I had a fantastic voice teacher at Georgia State named Kathryn Hartgrove who helped me establish a strong vocal technique and mentored me as a young singer. Attending a larger arts institution for your undergraduate degree may seem exciting and lead to connections, but usually the graduate students have priority for performance opportunities. If you find a school with a teacher/mentor you trust and a program that provides opportunity while staying out of debt, choose that school. Although my education at Georgia State was at times incredibly difficult due to personal loss and ultimately cut short, I am grateful to it for setting me on my career path and preparing me for my journey at Yale.”

Original source can be found here.