Evan Martinez was a cellist for 15 years before he began his singing career. But the delay paid off: During the fall semester, Martinez was named an Apprentice Artist with Opera Orlando, where he was featured in the MainStage production of La Bohème in October.

“Opera is very demanding, and your voice has to mature a bit,” says Martinez, a tenor graduating in May with a BA in Music. “My voice grew in such a way that it is more suitable for opera and classical music rather than musical theater. But opera is incredibly dramatic, and singing with a full orchestra becomes intoxicating.”

The Apprentice Artists program provides a platform for undergraduate voice students to gain performance experience with a professional company while working alongside and learning from Opera Orlando staff and guest artists. Currently, the Apprentice Artists program is a partnership with Stetson, enabling singers to earn college credit through their participation in the program. Martinez was joined in the program by soprano Alyssa Pimentel, a junior.

“Evan was nominated to audition for Opera Orlando by the Voice faculty at Stetson, and we’re really thankful that he was chosen,” says Olivia Yokers, DMA, director of Opera and assistant professor of Music, Voice. “This is part of the Hatter Ready initiative, where students not only gain experience at Stetson but also in immersive programs outside the university. That experience can really catapult a career.”

According to Yokers, there is considerable interest in this genre of music. “So many young people are enthralled by opera and its history,” she says. “Opera is very much alive in this generation of up-and-coming musicians.”

The actor Timothee Chalamet recently made headlines when he declared “no one cares” about ballet or opera. “That’s such a foolish statement to make,” Martinez says. “Opera Orlando performances at the Dr. Philips Center for the Performing Arts are sold-out with an audience that includes children and young adults. It’s a thriving art.

“I think the COVID pandemic fortified a need for the arts, increased interest and made people appreciate listening to live music.”

Following his graduation from Stetson, Martinez has a job teaching private lessons. In a perfect world, though, he would “be accepted in a master’s degree program or accepted in a young artists program at an opera house.”

He hopes to audition and apply for a fall 2027 position at Boston Conservatory or at Indiana University. Until then, he was delighted to play the role of the witch (Olivia) in Engelbert Humperdinck’s opera “Hansel and Gretel” for Stetson Opera Theatre.

“Olivia is such a visionary,” says Martinez, who grew up in DeLand and graduated from University High School in nearby Orange City. “Most of the time we sing in English and, of course, the music is beautiful.”

-Renee Garrison