- University Department Music
- Location David Hayworth Hall and Chapel
- Phone Number 336-841-4546
- Email [email protected]
Dr. Lauren Wright-Harris, also known as Dr. Lo, is based in Greensboro, North Carolina. She earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama, and a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Georgia State University in Atlanta. During her graduate studies, she performed a variety of operatic roles, including Baba/Madame Flora in Menotti’s The Medium, Marcellina in Le Nozze di Figaro, and Cecilia March in Adamo’s Little Women. She also appeared with Atlanta Opera’s Educational Studio Tour of Daniel Dorff’s Stone Soup, singing the role of the mayor.
Following her studies at Georgia State University, Dr. Wright-Harris joined Sarasota Opera’s Young Apprentice Program. Over two seasons with the company, she continued to refine her artistry through performances across Sarasota and collaborations with distinguished coaches, stage directors, and conductors. During her time there, she also covered the role of Mary in Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman and received the Sarasota Opera Guild’s Young Artist Award.
Her performance credits include La Badessa and La zia Principessa in Puccini’s Suor Angelica, Knusperhexe in Humperdinck’s Hansel und Gretel, Madame Armfeldt in Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, Praskowia in Lehár’s The Merry Widow, Flosshilde in Wagner’s Götterdämmerung, and Ines in Verdi’s Il Trovatore. After transitioning from mezzo-soprano to soprano, she made her soprano role debut with The Cleveland Opera as Serena in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess in 2019.
Dr. Wright-Harris earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The University of North Carolina Greensboro, where her research centered on the music of Black composers and the representation of the Black community. Her doctoral work culminated in a dissertation lecture-recital based on the presentation song cycle A Great Cloud of Witnesses, which features her original poetry set to music by composer Jarrett Roseborough.
In addition to her work as a performer and scholar, Dr. Wright-Harris is an experienced educator. She has taught at Fayetteville State University, Wingate University, and Queens University of Charlotte, where she cultivated thriving voice studios. Her ongoing performance career reflects her versatility across both mezzo-soprano and soprano repertoire, with recent roles including Mamie in Emmett Till: An Opera in Three Acts, Mary in William Grant Still’s Highway 1, USA, and Mère Marie in Poulenc’s Dialogues of the Carmelites.