Arts & Entertainment
 

Cougar soprano stands out as avid, ambitious artist 

Impressive past paves way for Lauren Zoghby's bright future

By Hannah Jackson
The Daily Cougar

In a university with more than 33,000 students, it is easy to lose track of individuals, their talents, their accomplishments and their humanity. But every so often, you find a face in the crowd that grabs your attention. Lauren Zoghby is certainly one such face.

Zoghby is a second-year master's student in the Moores School of Music, where she studies vocal performance. At 7:30 p.m. Feb. 7, Lauren will play the leading role in the opera La Finta Giardiniera at the Moores Opera House. It's far from the first leading role Lauren has been offered: In April, she played Katya in Katya Kabanova, and in the fall she played the romantic interest of the lead in The Love for Three Oranges.

Zoghby is a lyric soprano with an elegant voice. Her ability to adopt a role as her own and express the character's emotion through her voice and her acting ability are part of what distinguishes her as an outstanding performer.

She began singing at a young age, encouraged by a musical family that included two cousins already working as professional opera singers. Her earliest performances were at her church in Alabama. She pursued her love of singing, completing a bachelor's degree at the University of South Alabama, where she was awarded the honor of Miss University of South Alabama, a prize that allowed her many opportunities to represent her school and to compete in the Miss Alabama pageant.

Zoghby said the talents and teaching ability of Joseph Evans, her vocal professor, are largely what brought her to UH. She was also impressed by the nationally recognized opera program and its director, Buck Ross.

Since coming to UH, Zoghby was invited to Chautauqua, N.Y., where she worked as a studio artist and an understudy for the role of Musetta in La Boheme. At Christmas, was the soprano soloist in Handel's Messiah in Alvin and at Blinn College in Brenham.

This March will find Zoghby in Mobile, Ala., where she is, again, the leading lady in a comedic Gilbert and Sullivan opera. She said she is "very excited about learning" in this professional environment -- especially working under a director whose talent she discovered while studying in New York. Over the summer, she will be performing with the Des Moines Metro Opera, another opportunity she said she is thrilled to have.

When she is not traveling the country performing or studying at UH, she manages to teach nine voice students from Klein High School and two college-level students.

But Zoghby's musical talents and accomplishments are just the beginning of her fine qualities. She is a beautiful woman with a sweet and lively personality that would charm any audience. Alabama still has a hold on her heart, and she spoke affectionately about her two siblings, her parents and a beloved puppy.

She also said her boyfriend, Bryan, is "very sweet and supportive" -- ideal qualities for the ambitious goals Zoghby has set for herself. Her passion for music and the excitement with which she approaches new opportunities would inspire even the most apathetic.

"I feel fortunate to be able to study and do something that I love so much. I really believe in giving back our talents to the community and to God," Zoghby said.

Hers is one face that will certainly not be lost in the crowd.

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