Opera Cowgirls to Launch 2024-2025 Arts at WT Series

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — An ensemble of women equally at home in honkytonks as they are in concert halls again will open a special spotlight series at West Texas A&M University.

The Arts at WT: A Subscription Series will kick off Oct. 3 with “An Evening with the Opera Cowgirls,” a dinner theatre-style concert event.

The concert will begin at 7 p.m. Oct. 3 in Legacy Hall in the Jack B. Kelley Student Center on WT’s Canyon campus. A reception will begin at 6 p.m.

Admission is free for subscribers to The Arts at WT series or $50 each for nonsubscribers. Visit cur8.com/22281/project/124780, call 806-651-2777 or email thearts@wtamu.edu.

“We are thrilled to have the talented performers of Opera Cowgirls kick off the 2024-2025 Arts at WT Subscription Series,” said Dr. Dan Peterson, dean of the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities. “It’s not too late to be involved with these amazing performances by joining the Subscription Series.”

The Opera Cowgirls quintet—which features Sarah Beckham-Turner, WT assistant professor of music in the WT School of Music—bills itself as the intersection of grand opera and the Grand Ole Opry.

Members also include Caitlin McKechney, Mila Henry, Maria Maxfield and Jessica Sandidge. Each performs traditional country-music instruments such as mandolins and guitars while singing a mixture of opera arias and western songs.

“We are all professional opera singers and musicians who also happen to love country music,” Beckham-Turner said. “We create our own versions of opera and country classics using our unique instrumentation. From the swankiest of parties to the grungiest of bars, Opera Cowgirls are sure to entertain.”

Fostering an appreciation of the arts is a key component of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised nearly $160 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT, a Regional Research University, is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 58 undergraduate degree programs, one associate degree, and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

—WT—