June/July 2024 | maconmagazine.com 91
ABOVE Jasmine
spins "Porgy
& Bess." She
performed the
role of Clara with
Utah Festival
Opera in 2016
and again in
her Baltimore
Symphony
Orchestra debut
in 2019. The
couple loved the
vintage record
cabinet so much,
they asked to
purchase it with
the house.
RIGHT The
portrait painted
by Andrew
Harper.
about her commitment to share the beauty of opera culture
with others.
Sierra: Opera seems other-worldly to me. Growing up, I
would hear opera singers and think, 'I don't know anyone
who sounds like this.' To know that right here in our
community we have someone who made it to that stage is
amazing.
Jasmine: It's difficult because it's not a mainstream art
form. There's this phrase: opera finds you. And it really
does. It's something you have to be exposed to. For me, it
was, "this is the coolest thing I've ever felt. I like it, and I
have a talent for it, so let's see where this goes."
Sierra: Growing up, my grandparents would take me
to operas at the Fox Theatre, and I remember falling
absolutely in love with the art form then, as a child. And
on Sundays on NPR they would play nothing but opera
for three or four hours. My grandfather would sit in his
study, listen to opera, and prepare his Sunday School
lesson. ... And one thing I took note of even then was
the lack of diversity in the opera world. I would love [to
know], from your perspective, what efforts are being made
in the field to be more welcoming and inclusive of people
of color?
Jasmine: That is the topic, something that is transforming
in our industry right now. I personally have had the
