Shorter University student Jasmine Habersham wins district Metropolitan Opera title

November 23, 2010 - Shorter University voice student Jasmine Habersham continues her current winning streak as she was recently named a Georgia district level winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council (MONC) Auditions Competition.

The senior from Lizella, Ga., was selected as a MET winner after performing a five-aria, four-language audition package. For her outstanding performance, Habersham received a $1,000 prize and will advance to the Southeast Regional auditions in February.

Habersham is a vocal student of Shorter music professor Dr. Matthew Hoch. “One cannot overstate how big of an honor it is to be a district winner of this competition, especially at the age of 21. And it comes within five weeks of her also winning the highest awards offered by the Georgia National Association of Teachers of Singing and the Georgia Music Teachers Association,” said Dr. Hoch. “We are so proud of all the recognition that Jasmine has brought to herself and Shorter University this semester.”

Jasmine Habersham with her voice professor Dr. Matthew Hoch


Habersham has also won two other prestigious singing awards in just the last few weeks, including the Georgia Chapter of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Young Artist Competition and the Cheryl-Boyd Award from the National Association of Teachers of Singing. She has spent the past two summers with the Janiec Opera Company at the Brevard Music Center and has plans to attend graduate school for vocal performance in the fall of 2011.

The purpose of the Metropolitan Opera National Council is to discover exceptional youth talent through auditions and provide a venue for young opera singers while assisting in the development of their careers. Shorter has had four national MET winners, with the most recent being 2004 alumna Jamie Barton.

Founded in 1873, Shorter University is a Christian college committed to excellence in education. Since 2003, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Shorter among the South’s best baccalaureate colleges, and the Princeton Review annually includes Shorter on its lists of best value and best Southeastern colleges. The university offers traditional bachelor’s degrees in 48 major areas as well as undergraduate degree programs for working adults, the Master of Business Administration, the Master of Education and the Master of Arts in Leadership. General education and calculus courses are offered in an online format, and Shorter recently launched online programs that lead toward the Associate of Science, the Bachelor of Business Administration, and the Master of Accountancy degrees. For more information, visit www.shorter.edu.

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