Assistant Professor of Voice Audrey Babcock sang the role of Elizabeth Proctor in the Opera Santa Barbara production of The Crucible. The opera by Robert Ward, based on Arthur Miller's play about the Salem Witch trials, was streamed on April 14 at 8:00 pm via the Opera Santa Barbara (OSB) Facebook page, then available for viewing on the OSB website.
Babcock, who joined the music faculty in January, is an award-winning mezzo-soprano who has gained recognition for her commanding, powerful performances, most notably in the role of Carmen, which she has performed with companies such as Florentine Opera, Nashville Opera, Florida Grand Opera, New York City Opera, San Antonio Opera, Knoxville Opera, Opera Delaware, Toledo Opera, Anchorage Opera, Dayton Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Mill City Summer Opera, and Utah Festival Opera. In February, she performed the role of "Nica" (the Baroness Nica de Koenigswarter) in the Seattle Opera production of Charlie Parker's Yardbird, a contemporary opera by Daniel Schnyder based on the legendary jazz saxophonist.