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When Anne Marie Stanley walked on stage in the Kimmel Center’s 2,500-seat in Verizon Hall to perform in The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Albert M. Greenfield Student Competition, she thought to herself, “Yes, I can do this.  I’ve been here before.”

That’s because she’s been on the same stage several times performing with The Philadelphia Orchestra as a member of the Westminster Symphonic Choir.

“It was the most incredible feeling to sing in the space as a soloist,” she recalls.  “T��� acoustics are amazing.”

The performance was the culmination of an audition process in which she was competing against other singers and instrumentalists in the Senior Division of this prestigious competition.

Looking around, Stanley and her accompanist, James Sparks, felt awed to be competing against such accomplished musicians. 

“Just sing for the joy of it – what will be, will be,” they concluded, as they prepared to perform in the final round before an audience in Verizon Hall. 

But when the winners were announced, much to her surprise, she placed first!  In addition to a cash prize, she won the opportunity to make her solo debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra during the 2015-2016 season.  This was the first of Stanley’s major competition wins in 2015.  Not long afterward, she placed first in Division 1 of The New York Lyric Opera Theatre’s National Vocal Competition. She also recently earned a grant from The Schuyler Foundation for Career Bridges and performed at their Winner’s Gala in New York City.

Santa Fe Opera

After Westminster’s Commencement in May, Stanley will travel to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she’ll be a part of The Santa Fe Opera’s prestigious Apprentice Singers Program, whose alumni include Joyce DiDonato, Samuel Ramey and William Burden.

She remembers thinking to herself at the audition, “Okay, Anne Marie.  You’re auditioning for The Santa Fe Opera.  It was daunting—but exciting. I thought, “This will be great experience, so just sing your heart out!’” 

The panel apparently liked what they heard in this talented mezzo-soprano, with a rich and velvety voice, and she was offered a place in the 2015 program, where she’ll be one of the youngest singers there.  She’s been cast as Giovanna in Rigoletto, as well as covering Claire in Jennifer Higdon’s new opera Cold Mountain, which will be premiered at Santa Fe in August.

“T��� Cold Mountain music is so beautiful.  I can’t wait to hear the entire opera!” she exclaims.

She’ll also be in chorus for Daughter of the Regiment, which she performed as part of the CoOPERAtive alumni performance at Westminster in January 2014.

Stanley will be in Santa Fe from June 4 through August 29, and then she’ll head to Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music in Houston, Texas, where she’ll enroll in its master’s program in Voice Performance, studying with Dr. Stephen King.

As she prepares to embark on many musical adventures, Stanley reflected on her time at Westminster. 

“I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect place to be,” she says.  “I feel like music is a calling for me – a true vocation, and it was nurtured here.  Professor Lindsey Christiansen has been my teacher and life coach. Her passion for music has inspired me to do my absolute best every single day.” she says.  “Westminster has changed my life.  All of the faculty have helped me explore my calling and discover who I truly am. I have especially benefited from coachings with Dr. JJ Penna, dramatic coachings with Nova Thomas, as well as working with my accompanist and good friend James Sparks.”

After transferring to Westminster as a sophomore, she immersed herself in all that the Choir College offers a student.

She was a member of the Westminster Choir in 2012-2013, an especially hectic year for the ensemble.  It included touring the Midwest, recording The Heart’s Reflection, and performing at the ACDA National Conference in Dallas.  As the chorus-in-residence at the Spoleto Festival USA, the choir was also the opera chorus in a production of Giordano’s Mese Mariano, in which Stanley was cast as Suor Agnese.  Oh yes, and she also took more than 20 credits in one semester! 

“I learned so much about what is required of a professional in a rehearsal setting,” she says about that year.

With Westminster Opera Theatre, she covered the role of Nicklausse in The Tales of Hoffman, and sang the roles of Tamiri in Il re pastore and Ernesto in Il mondo della luna.  And she performed in the German and American Art Song Festivals.

“It’s been such a whirlwind of an education!” she says of her years at Westminster.  “T���re were many challenges, but I was compelled to stay focused and strive for excellence.”

Looking to the future, she concludes, “My goal is to sing for the joy of it, make music with others who feel the same beauty within, and share it with those who will listen.”