Knightly News

“Everything you learn here will stay with you forever.” Lisette Oropesa

International opera sensation Lisette Oropesa returned to Episcopal’s campus for the first time in 30 years as this year’s featured speaker in the Lindley Spaht Dodson Endowed Speaker Series. Oropesa, who has performed on stages around the world, including the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Wiener Staatsoper, Opera National de Paris, and the Royal Opera House – Covent Garden, remembered the exact location where she sat as a fourth grader in the Episcopal Greer Center. With authentic enthusiasm, Oropesa discussed her years at Episcopal, how they shaped who she is today and how students should stay true to what brings them joy.

With attention to detail, Oropesa easily shared her story with students in all three divisions. In Lower School, she presented slides featuring relatable cartoon characters and was eager to answer a range of questions from the younger Knights. Later, with Middle and Upper School students, she offered a brief sample of her talent and provided encouragement on teenage topics such as belonging, leadership and the importance of giving to others. In a breakout session with aspiring Episcopal artists, Oropesa even led a vocal exercise demonstrating the difference between diffuse and focused sound. Common to each presentation was Oropesa's sense of gratitude for the career that allows her to travel the world doing what she loves. The world clearly loves her back as Oropesa has earned recognition as “Best Female Singer of the Year” from Oper! Magazine, the “Tranco Abbiail” Award from the National Music Critics Association of Italy and the merit of “Chevalier de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres” from the French Ministry of Culture. 

The Formative Years

Oropesa attended Episcopal from fourth through seventh grade. In that time, she played the flute in the band and participated in choir. “I went to school right here, and this is where I learned to sing,” she advised Lower School students. She pointed out that her first real part on stage was as one of the seven children in an Episcopal production of “The Sound of Music.” Even now, she remembers her drama classmates as the group was once tasked with memorizing each other’s names in alphabetical order. As Oropesa recited the names, Lower School students and fellow drama classmate and current Lower School Religion Teacher Jenny Heroman Koenig ’01 were impressed with her skill. Oropesa noted that the memorization skills she developed here at Episcopal have served her well as a performer, helping her memorize lines and notes. After all this time, Oropesa also remembers the positive influence of teachers David Galasso, Paul Taranto, Lorren McGee Rhea and Tommy Rhea. She enjoyed a reunion with the educators that was years in the making.

Having Oropesa’s teachers and Lindley’s family present highlighted the sense of community and the celebration of the arts that the Lindley Spaht Dodson Speaker Series was intended to create. Like Oropesa, Lindley was active in Episcopal’s performing arts program and is remembered for her talent and passion. “The performing arts allowed her to find herself,” recalled her brother Holden Spaht ’92. He elaborated that he and his family will always remember Lindley’s smile and the way she inspired others to be their best. 

The Power of Arts Education

Lindley and Oropesa are both extraordinary examples of the power of arts education. Generous with her time, Oropesa encouraged today’s students to keep learning, never be afraid to make a mistake and to hold tight to the things they love. She also emphasized that healthy habits last a lifetime and are important to every career and every life goal.

Regardless of where life takes today’s students, the Episcopal community supports them as they make the world a better place. The connections created here last a lifetime as the Lindley Spaht Dodson Speaker Series illustrates. Thank you to the Spaht family for supporting arts education and to Lisette Oropesa for taking the time to encourage the next generation of Knights.

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