Lydia Bangura Interview
Lydia Bangura is an operatic soprano, music theorist, and podcaster. She’s currently in the third year of a music theory PhD program at the University of Michigan, with the aim of centering a dissertation “around Black American folks/narratives specifically in the classical music space.” Lydia's podcast, Her Music Academia, is one of the most fascinating around.
How did you get to where you are today, professionally?
I'm primarily an operatic soprano, a music theorist, and a podcaster. From my early childhood, I knew I wanted to have a career in music; I began playing the viola at age nine after watching a beautiful performance by the Denver Symphony Orchestra. I played viola for about ten years, which gave me a real appreciation for classical music, self-discipline, healthy competition, and collaboration.
By high school, my plan was to be a high school orchestra teacher. But things changed once I got to college. One of the most formative experiences of my life was seeing the opera Cruzar La Cara de La Luna by José Martínez and Leonard Foglia at the Arizona Opera. The live performance, set design, and contemporary orchestration (featuring a Mariachi band) moved me to tears and inspired me to try voice lessons. From there, I became consumed with opera performance. I graduated with a bachelor's in vocal performance from Northern Arizona University in 2019 and went on to pursue a master's in vocal performance at Roosevelt University.