Opera Star Leah Crocetto Returns to Siena to Teach in Musical Theater Program

By Doug Goodnough—
Special to the Daily Telegram

Last year, Leah Crocetto returned to her alma mater to share her voice gifts with a captive audience during a 100^th anniversary benefit concert.

This year, she is returning to share her talents with Siena Heights University students. The internationally acclaimed soprano will teach voice lessons for SHU’s musical theater program during the 2020-21 academic year.

“Michael Yuen invited me to teach this year to help continue to grow the Theatre Siena program,” said Crocetto of SHU’s assistant professor of musical theater and dance. “I couldn’t be more excited to be teaching alongside one of my dearest friends! Michael and I have performed together many times, and I also happen to be his oldest daughter’s godmother, so this will be a joy. Michael called me on a whim in the winter and said he needed to hire another voice teacher because the program is growing so much, and asked if there would there be any way I’d consider taking the job. I thought about it for 5 minutes, and gave him a tentative ‘yes.’”

Crocetto, a 2007 SHU graduate, is known in the opera world as a recitalist and concert performer. She has performed at a variety of venues, including Carnegie Hall, the Washington National Opera and Hamer Hall in Melbourne, Australia. She said the coronavirus pandemic has limited her performance schedule, returning to teach at Siena Heights was a great opportunity to make the most of newfound time.

“My schedule had some space in it this season, so I could make time to teach while still maintaining my performance and travel calendar,” Crocetto said. “Now, in retrospect, I have loads of time, as all of my performances have been canceled, so I look at my returning to Siena Heights to teach as a gift from God during this horrible time of uncertainty for the arts.”

SHU Professor of Theatre and chair of the Visual and Performing Arts Division Mark DiPietro said Siena Heights is thrilled to have Crocetto back on campus, and will utilize her as much as possible.

“If something else comes up, we’ll ask her to do that,” said DiPietro, who is also a close personal friend. “She will have a hefty load of majors, and she will still be able to do shows in between.”

Crocetto said she actually has a lot of teaching experience. Before her performance career, she taught voice lessons to high school students, and has done residencies at the Butler Opera Center at the University of Texas at Austin, as well as with the Potomac Vocal Institute in Washington, D.C. And she was the Artist-in-Residence for Washington National Opera’s Cafritz Young Artist Program.

“I will be joining the voice faculty this year for the WNO Cafritz Young Artist Program as well,” Crocetto said. “So, I will be teaching my D.C. students virtually, while working with my SHU students in Adrian. Teaching has always been a passion of mine. I love the idea of paying it forward, sharing what I know to help the young people of today to have an easier road, and to give them the tools to carve out their path!”

She said she will adjust her teaching a style a bit to adapt to the musical theater program.

“It will be a different approach (than opera), in that it will be missing the foreign language aspect of my teaching,” she said. “Unless some brave soul wants to try their hand at an Italian, French, Spanish, Russian or German song! But I’m a believer in the same basic technique for every type of singing. It all starts with the breath. So, that is where I will begin.”

Crocetto said her return to Siena Heights brings back fond memories from her time as a student.

“My time as a student at SHU was one of growth and discovery for me,” she said. “I learned so much about who I wanted to be, and how I wanted to share. Coming back to teach alongside my mentor Mark DiPietro, is surreal, and a true gift. Siena Heights is a place that I have always felt I could be totally ‘me’ and didn’t need to change. … I will forever hold SHU in my heart and as my family!”