Kentucky State singer makes surprise Metropolitan Opera debut. Will other locals join her?

The first thing Michelle Bradley did after she got the news she was making her Metropolitan Opera debut that same night was call home to Versailles.

“I had to call my older brother (Tim Bradley),” Bradley says of that easy morning turned upside down. “He always talks me down. Then I went for a walk in Central Park and went through all my music and all of my part, thought it through, and then I felt ready and more relaxed. And then I went to the Met and did my job.”

Bradley, a 2007 Kentucky State University graduate, was scheduled to make her Met debut in a major role Oct. 29, singing the role of Liù in “Turandot.” But when her fellow performer Gabriella Reyes could not go on the night of the 21st, Bradley stepped in.

The operatic early Christmas was a major milestone in the career of the soprano who grew up in Versailles admiring Whitney Houston and singing and playing organ in church but knew her voice wouldn’t fit pop or gospel. It was late Kentucky State University music professor Andrew Smith that helped guide Bradley toward opera, and her late parents, Wayne and Dorene Bradley, who weren’t afraid to let her pursue her dreams.

“He helped me find my place,” Bradley says of Smith. “I knew that my voice would not fit in the pop culture world or a hip hop world or even a gospel world. I just did not have that sound. And he helped me find my place. I’m not at all surprised that KSU would bring about a singer that’s at the Met because it should be more coming out. I mean, there’s so many I graduated with, so many wonderful students.”

Bradley recalls her parents, “never said ‘get a real job.’ I said, I wanted to sing. They were like, ‘OK, let’s do it.’ Even when I told them I don’t want to be singing in church, I want to be an opera singer, even though they didn’t understand what that was — I didn’t even completely understand it at the time — they were all for it.”

That so many of her guide stars have passed makes her debut bittersweet. But Bradley says she still has plenty of supportive family in Kentucky planning to come see her in “Turandot,” which she has performances through Nov. 16, and give her the words she needs to hear at the big moments. And the way her debut went, to Bradley, is just an affirmation of her years of training and singing on other big stages.

“I know what I’m doing,” she says. “I’m well trained and prepared, which is what the other night taught me. I’m ready to do this, especially if you call me at a moment’s notice like that.”

UK singers help the Met make history

Also at the Met, six University of Kentucky graduates were part of the cast and chorus of this fall’s historic production of Terence Blanchard’s “Fire Shut Up in My Bones,” the first opera by a Black composer produced at the Met. Christopher Kenney made his Met debut as Chester and Denisha Ballew sang the role of Vera. Joining them in production are UK alums Christine Jobson, Andrea Jones-Sojola, Karmesha Peake and Markel Reed. The production ran Sept. 27 to Oct. 23.

Will other Kentucky singers make it to the Met?

Want to get an early look at who may be the next Kentuckian, or Kentucky-trained singer to sing at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City? The Kentucky District round of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, formerly known as the National Council Auditions, takes place at 11 a.m. Nov. 13 in Haggin Auditorium in Transylvania University’s Mitchell Fine Arts Building.

Winners from the district audition will advance to regional rounds in early 2022, and winners from those competitions go on to national semifinals April 24 and finals May 1 on the Metropolitan Opera Stage.

Previous winners from the University of Kentucky have included Gregory Turay, Reginald Smith Jr., and Blake Denson.

To attend the competition, presenter OperLex is enforcing Metropolitan Opera and Transy COVID-19 guidelines that include proof of vaccination against COVID-19 and photo ID. All attendees must wear a mask covering the nose and mouth while in the venue. Visit kymet.org for more information.

Lexington Philharmonic concert: Local works by Julia Perry

The Lexington Philharmonic’s November concert will be at the Lyric Theatre & Cultural Arts Center and feature a composer whose first home was just a few blocks from there. Julia Perry was born in Lexington in 1924 and lived for a time on Eastern Avenue. In the 20th century, Perry “was one of a handful of U.S. composers with music published and widely performed, a significant accomplishment all the more noteworthy for an African-American female composer,” according to the Philharmonic. She wrote more than 80 works including 12 symphonies, two concertos, and three operas. She received honors from the National Association of Negro Musicians, the Boulanger Grand Prix, the National Institute of Arts and Letters, and two Guggenheim Fellowships, to name a few. Perry died in 1979.

The Philharmonic’s Nov. 20 concert at the Lyric, 300 E. Third St., features her signature work, “Stabat Mater,” which she dedicated to her mother, and “Pastoral” as part of the main stage concert at 7:30 p.m. A pre-show performance at 6:45 p.m. will include several of her chamber works. The concert will be conducted by Philharmonic Interim Artistic Advisor Kelly Corcoran and feature Mezzo-Soprano Courtney Porter. Tickets are $25 adults and $10 ages 17 and younger. Visit lexphil.org or call 859-233-4226 for tickets. Patrons will be required to wear masks covering the nose and mouth, and the Lyric is only selling at 50% capacity to help limit the spread of COVID-19.

Lexington Theatre Company Concert with the Stars headliner

The Lexington Theatre Company has released a load of information about its 2022 endeavors, which will start right after New Year’s Day with its annual Concert with the Stars, featuring Lexington’s Rebecca Covington Webber, a graduate of the School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCAPA) who is on a national tour of “Hamilton” and has had several appearances on Broadway. She will headline the event at 8 p.m. Jan. 8 along with her husband and fellow Broadway performer Donald Webber, Jr. Rounding out the headliners will be former Lex performer Jeremy Landon Hays, who has gone on to “Phantom of the Opera” and “Les Miserables” on Broadway. Visit lexingtontheatrecompany.org for tickets to the show.

Also, The Lex has announced its Summer 2022 shows, the first since 2019: “The Little Mermaid” July 14 to 17 and “Chicago” Aug. 4 to 7. Visit the website or call 859-233-3535 for ticket information for those shows. Student performers should also check out the website for information about apprenticeships, internships, and other opportunities with The Lex.

Studio Players play: ‘A Tuna Christmas’

We’re going to be coming at you with a listing of holiday events at the end of this month, but at least one show will be done by then. Studio Players presents the now-Christmas classic, “A Tuna Christmas” by Ed Howard, Joe Sears, and Jason Williams, directed by Marty Wayman, Nov. 11-28. Take a trip to Tuna, Texas and visit the crazy characters that inhabit it at 8 p.m. Nov. 11, Fridays and Saturdays, and 2:30 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $21 general admission, $11 students. Visit studioplayers.org for more information and tickets or call 859-257-4929.

This story was originally published November 3, 2021 at 6:00 AM.