Like every young singer, Amanda Batista (BM’20) had her eye on “the big art schools” as a teenager, auditioning for several before auditioning for Mason Gross School of the Arts. But after performing for the head of the vocal program, she knew immediately where she belonged.
“Eduardo Chama sat right next to me and my mom and said, ‘You have a career and a future, and I know exactly what we are going to do to get you there,’ ” Batista recalled. “I felt right from that moment this was a place where you could get individualized attention. That day I committed to Rutgers.”
It was a decision that set her directly on the path to achieving her ultimate dream: singing opera professionally. She made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 2023.
“Rutgers was my first musical refuge,” she said. “I felt cared for and believed in.”
Read more about Batista on Rutgers Today.
Image credit: Courtesy of Amanda Batista and Cory Weaver