Colleen Cole Beucher, soprano, is currently pursuing her DMA in Vocal Performance at the University of Michigan where she studies under Dr. Louise Toppin. This November, Colleen  performed the role of Vixen in U of M’s production of Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen; sung entirely in Czech. In previous semesters at U of M, Colleen performed the roll of Cendrillon in Massenet’s Cendrillon (2021), Euridice in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice (2021), and Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus (2020). She recently competed in the 2022 George Shirley competition where she won the following awards: Second place in the Pre-Professional Division, First place Soprano, First place Operatic Aria, and Encouragement Prize for Spiritual. In 2019, Colleen was a semi-finalist in the national Federation of Music Clubs Young Artist Competition. Prior to that, she won first place in the Professional Voice division of the Coeur d’Alene National Young Artists Competition. Colleen graduated with her MM from the University of California Santa Barbara in 2014 and her BM from Indiana University in 2012.  This will be Colleen’s debut performance as the soprano soloist in Handel’s Messiah!