Baylor Alumnus and Staff Member Sings in UNISA International Voice Competition
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WACO, Texas (Feb. 22, 2018) — A journey through different kinds of music led Baylor University alumnus Justin Kroll to pursue an instrument he wasn’t expecting to be his strongest — his voice.
Kroll, B.M. (Music History and Literature) ’13, M.M. (Performance) ’16, recently performed on the world stage as one of 13 finalists in the prestigious UNISA International Voice Competition in Pretoria, South Africa.
The UNISA International Voice Music Competition, a member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions, has built a reputation for hosting competitions comparable with the best in the world. Classical and jazz vocalists of all nationalities were invited to enter the event. Due to his limited experience in vocal music, Kroll was surprised to discover that he was one of only two Americans chosen to sing in the competition.
Kroll didn’t sing in high school or even college, but he has always been drawn to music. He started as a percussion major at McLennan Community College (MCC), until one of his teachers heard him sing in a theory class and suggested that he take voice lessons for fun.
“I had done a few different things before I started taking voice lessons. I was a percussionist and a pianist for a while. When I started taking voice, it felt like I found something that finally fit. She was the one who could see that it was going to fit and gave me the nudge I needed,” Kroll said.
Kroll transferred to Baylor to get his bachelor’s degree in music history and finally decided to pursue vocal music when he got into to Baylor’s School of Music as a voice major. The School of Music has inspired Kroll to push past his fear of not having enough experience to be a good singer.
“When I started to pursue singing, I really had to prove myself since I didn’t have a lot of the same singing background as some of the other singers that were in the School of Music. So, when I started my graduate studies in voice, I really tried to put everything out there and I made sure that they knew that I was serious and that I was ready to commit and put in the work,” Kroll said. “The high level of expectation for the level of professionalism and vocalism in the voice department led me to up my game. Indirectly, they have pushed me to be better.”
Now, Kroll teaches voice at MCC and serves as a facilities assistant at Baylor’s Armstrong Browning Library. One of his colleagues from South Africa suggested that Kroll audition for the competition.
The competition had four rounds, each round with its own repertoire requirements, such as an aria from a specific time period and an aria in a specific language. Each round had new requirements and contestants had to have a new repertoire for each round. Participants couldn’t repeat pieces and each performance had a time minimum of 25 minutes.
Kroll prepared over two hours worth of music for the competition. He performed in English, French, Italian, German and Russian.
A video of Kroll’s performance is available here.
He advanced to Round 2 of the competition but was not among the six finalists moving on to Round 3. He stayed through the remainder of the competition to celebrate with the winner.
Kroll said and the competition was a great experience to travel to South Africa and be exposed to an international audience. Now that he can add this to his resume, Kroll’s end goal is to become a renowned opera singer. He’s been auditioning persistently and this summer, he will sing a role with the Russian Opera Workshop in Philadelphia.
“I was extremely honored to be invited to compete in the UNISA International Voice Competition,” said Kroll. “To be one of 13 competitors and only one of two Americans to sing in South Africa was humbling,” Kroll said. “Singing on the international stage is a huge step in any singing career, and though I did not advance to the final round of this competition, it was a fantastic experience, and one that could lead to bigger and better things.”
by Joy Moton, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805
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