Tahoma junior is both a gifted vocalist and student

Tahoma High School junior, Morgan Roberts, may look familiar. Roberts has been performing since she was 8, when she started participating in plays. At the age of 11, Roberts auditioned for her first opera, “Carmen” through Seattle Opera in the children’s choir.

When Roberts auditioned for the opera, she had no experience with it. Her mom, Christina Roberts, found the audition and suggested she go for it, Roberts said. While she did not have any experience with it, she did however, have classical singing training through voice lessons she had been participating in for six years, Roberts said.

Participating in the opera has become a big part of Roberts’ life; she switched to the Seattle Opera Studio when she outgrew the children’s opera. She is so thankful she was exposed to it because it is a real lost art form. Most students in her school have no idea what opera is or what it involves, she said.

Seattle Opera has been one of the top opera companies in the US and Roberts is proud to have been able to perform with the Seattle Opera, she said.

“I would feel wrong being in such an artistic community and not take advantage of the opportunities,” Roberts said. “I’m so happy to live in a place where the thing I love is so prevalent.”

This year, Roberts decided to take a break from the opera scene to focus more on the musical theater scene. She was cast as Laurey in Oklahoma for the Tahoma High School’s spring musical opening in May. Morgan is more familiar with plays, since she started performing in school plays in the fifth grade. Her favorite part she has played so far is Rusty in Footloose because it really challenged her vocally, she said.

Everything Roberts does has something to do with her education or performing in some way. She is preparing for college by taking college and AP classes. Through taking those classes, she found out she had an interest in psychology. She also works for the Pacific Science Center as a Discovery Core Senior Interpreter that has an emphasis on earth and space. She learned about different aspects of earth and space and shares the information to the public, from kindergartners to adults. In her spare time she and her friend, Natalie Riggs, have a duet where they have been performing in various coffee shops. They are planning a spring tour the first week in April.

With everything Roberts has been involved with, she said she couldn’t pick one thing that was her favorite.

“All of it intertwines somehow, all of the aspects come together,” Roberts said.

Morgan is hoping to bring her love of music and psychology together when she goes to college in the fall of 2017. She’s planning on studying something related to music therapy or psychology, she said. She plans on continuing to be involved with music and theatre as well.